Rapacious Tendencies
by Mermaid Monster
Summary: Devastated by an abrupt abandonment by her ex-lover, a young woman sets out to find him. After her feeble attempts lead her to worse consequences, death seems impeccable. But her fate takes a spontaneous turn, leading her to meet a devil-in-disguise working as the Phantomhive butler. Serving a young Earl, he also unintentionally serves as her salvation. Sebastian x OC
1. Leech

**Author's Note: Hello there! So, I started this Sebastian x OC story nearly two years ago. But due to college and what not, I was kind of forced to stop writing for a while. But hey, I'm finally back! I published this story on a different site and under a different title. I wrote the first 15 chapters back in high school and tried my best to re-edit them so that they would flow a little better with my sort of updated style of writing. Anyhow, it feels really good to get back into writing and I'm really happy and excited about this. I heard that most people on FanFiction dislike OC stories, so if you're one of those haters, then I suggest you choose something else. Obviously, I ain't the author for you! To the rest, I hope you enjoy what I bring to the table. :)**

**Oh yes, before I forget, this story is based on both the anime and manga, but mostly the manga. I may also change up a few things so it's less boring/repetitive. If you don't like that, then this story is, once again, not for you.**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga**

* * *

The road was rough and seemingly endless. The carriage trudged on and on, currently occupied by a large group of young women huddled close together.

I was among them.

_…Where did you go? Why aren't you here with me?_

I could see all of their faces in the dark, the small windows catching a few rays of lamp light as the carriage passed, allowing me to see brief glimpses of their heads. Our wrists and ankles were bound with tight rope that cut deeply into our skin whenever we tried to move. Our clothes and overall appearance was tainted by dirt and debris, looking like a waste of human.

I stared into their glazed eyes once again. Although some were still scared and unsure of this plan, most had faith and were determined to make it succeed. They stared back at me and then glanced at one another, readying themselves for what would come soon enough.

That cursed beast driving the carriage let out a hearty laugh, sounding disgusting along with his partner sitting next to him.

I looked down to my bound hands, my tongue running along my teeth. I soon tasted blood in my mouth and shivered at the sensation. I had to hold back my urge. Now wasn't the time for that. Instead, I brought the rope to my mouth and used my teeth to gnaw it away.

The men outside the carriage continued to chat with their incoherent voices while I continued breaking the thinning rope around my wrists before I was finally able to rip it apart easily. I turned to the girl beside me, who hesitantly shifted closer to me as I took her hands and went to work on the rope once again.

The girls watched me working with upmost concentration and exchanged glances once again, feeling obligated to make an attempt. One of them quietly began to feel her way in the dark and search for anything that was remotely close to sharp.

Once I was done with the girl's hands, she took over and quickly started unraveling the rope at her feet while I moved on to the next person. The other girl finally found a stray piece of broken glass near the corner of the carriage, bringing it up to the miniscule amount of light to see that it was decent enough. She had someone hold the piece of glass while she sawed the rope against it.

The men's voices grew louder, making a few of the young women panic but nonetheless, we kept going.

It was no surprise to find that my fangs were incredibly sore, more than it had been, by the time we were all finished releasing ourselves from the binds.

The carriage jolted to a sudden stop, causing some girls to fall to their knees after having just stood up. We had done it just in time…

"Agh, finally! I feel like we've been doing nothing but drive this piece of shit for ages!" One of the men, complained, his voice nearing the back of the carriage.

I turned around and put a finger to my lips, urging the girls to stay quiet while they quickly hid the piles of rope behind them.

"We havebeen driving _all day_, you idiot. Ya know, this job may be hard, but it's still so fun to score street rats! Or should I say, street _kittens_. I swear we'll earn more than we've ever had for sure!"

"Ooh _I can't wait_!" The man jostled the back of the carriage in excitement. The girls almost screamed out loud, quickly covering their mouths.

"What do you think you're doing you _moron_!" the other man hit his partner, causing the carriage to shake once again from the body collision.

"W-what? I just wanted to take a look at them!"

"Are you insane?! You know that anyone can see us! We can't let anyone know! Honestly, use your head!"

"Awww…alright."

The other man paused and from the sound of his groan, he was probably stretching. "Wait here. I'll go get us some drinks."

"What! Well can't I go with you?!"

The man hit him over the head again. "Once again, idiot, you think we can leave this carriage all alone? That's downright trouble!"

"Oh...ha-ha! _Right!_"

The man muttered to himself as his footsteps grew distant. His partner kicked the dirt before distancing himself from the carriage.

"Hah…_idiot_…one of these days I'll call _him _that…"

As soon as my ears could tell that he was gone, I immediately took the inside-lock keeping us sealed in here and began striking it with my bare hands. One of the girls saw what I was doing and came over to help, kicking the back of the carriage. Other girls joined in and applied pressure on the double doors, careful not to tip the carriage over as the lock in my hand began to dent slightly but not enough.

I inhaled deeply and concentrated on gathering all the strength I could muster. My eyes flashed red when I reopened them. My hand clenched so tightly over the lock that it finally crumbled in half.

The door opened slightly and when the girls rammed against it all together, the doors split open. I caught two of the girls whom had nearly fallen out and pulled them back in. The girl, who had helped me, peered behind the door. She saw that the carriage had been stopped a fair distance from a small lit pub. She scanned the other side and noticed that the partner was nowhere in sight.

She nodded to me and I returned the gesture. Once everyone was informed that the coast was clear, the girls began scurrying out of the carriage. They were hesitant in going ahead once they stepped out, but the girl coaxed them to run. They nodded back and escaped with no further ado.

One by one, the young women left the carriage. Adrenaline rushed through me, as well as slight anxiety of being able to go free.

Yet, just as that feeling set in, another one pushed it away. A much unpleasant one.

"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU BITCHES ARE GOING!" the partner had caught sight of us, running towards us with a furious look on his face.

The girl beside me gasped and I quickly pushed her out the carriage since she was the remaining one left. The other girls in the distance glanced behind their backs but I signaled for them to keep going.

"OI! STOP RIGHT THERE!" the partner screeched.

"What's going on?!" the driver yelled after him.

"THEY'RE RUNNING AWAY! THEY'RE ESCAPING!"

"YOU IDIOT! DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO KEEP WATCH?"

A bullet sped past us and I continued to push the girl forward until I stopped, turning around to face the men. She stopped and stared at me wide-eyed with horror. I glared and motioned her to run. She shook her head, but the partner's gun sounded again, this time catching my shoulder. I winced and stumbled back, clutching my shoulder, feeling blood seeping through my fingers. My eyes turned red again and I clenched my teeth.

I looked back at the girl, who gave me one last nod before running off without me. I turned to the partner, who had his gun pointed at me, the driver beside him coming over to take my arm.

"Are you just going to stand there like a fool? Go after the bitches who escaped! I'll deal with this whore…" he exclaimed, taking hold of me.

"Why do _I _always have to be the one who-"

"Goddammit, shut the hell up and do as I say!"

"F-fine but-"

I took this chance and lashed out against the man holding me, hauling him over my shoulders and throwing him onto the ground. I had regained my energy and before his partner could react, I grabbed his hand holding the gun and twisted it fully clockwise. He screamed in pain as the gun fell out of his hands and I snatched it away.

"QUIT HOWLING AND WATCH-" The man cut off when I shot his partner straight through the head. He fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.

I stood there for a moment to catch my breath, gazing at my bloody hand and bringing it to my face. I licked my fingers gently. _Oh…this strong urge to…_

Another gun sounded and I was struck in the back once again. I bent over my knees for a second before whipping around and pointing my gun at the one man left, only for him to shoot me in the leg. That forced me to weaken my stance and before I could react, he had slapped the gun out of my hand and took hold of my neck, slamming me to the ground.

I immediately thrashed around despite the bullet injuries, hissing at him as my mouth opened, revealing to him what I really was.

He breathed heavily, smelling of bourbon as he fumbled around with a black case by his side. "You filthy little rat. Don't think that _you _could've escaped."

His giant hand clenching my throat tightened, making my vision blurry as his large body pinned me to the ground. I hated that I wasn't strong enough…at least not as strong as I could've been with-

"Hush! Shut up!" he snarled, clamping a hand over my mouth. He then took out a needle, my eyes widening as he took my arm and laid it out, my pale skin in his sight. My eyes clenched shut, tears threatening to spill as he injected the needle into my vein.

"Sleep tight for now…" he whispered, black spots taking over.

* * *

An icy cold rush blew over me when I found myself in a place I had no idea of. All I knew was that it was dark, isolated, and smelled of something rotting. I tried to move but found my hands and feet bound again, except this time in chains. Not only that, I was completely naked and was laid on the floor in a spread-eagle.

"Well now, I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly. But then again…it wouldn't have been fun if you weren't awake."

I spotted the man coming towards me with a perverse look on his face. He was obviously enjoying the position I was in.

"Are you ready for your punishment? It's too bad you couldn't stay unconscious for long," he sneered and then snapped his long whip before lashing it at me.

I winced and kept my mouth shut as he continued lashing me repeatedly, laughing as he did so. Fresh long wounds appeared one by one on my body yet I continued to hold back any screams that were begging to be heard.

After countless number of lashes, he breathed heavily, staring at my body for a moment before dropping his whip and coming over to me, straddling my hips.

He smirked evilly at me, taking a knife and began stabbing me, having gotten bored with whipping. This time I couldn't hold back my tears and they came spilling down my face. I bit my lip so hard that blood was seeping and joined with the salty liquid. Blood also splashed against his face from the wounds he kept inflicting on me, loving that he was seeing my more apparent reaction of pain.

His loud laughs echoed in my ears and his grimy hands took hold of my breasts, using his knife to slowly etch a word into my stomach. He said each letter of the word out loud as slowly as he was carving it in my skin. My mouth opened, gasping for air.

The man had released my chains while I was experiencing this excruciating pain, knowing full well that I was too weak to fight back or try to escape. He flipped me over and carved more words into my back before simply cutting into my skin.

Soon enough, he tossed the blood-soaked knife to the side, deciding for a moment what to do with me. Knowing that I was about to meet my end, he unbuttoned his trousers. Before I could comprehend what he was about to do, he shoved himself inside me once he had spread my legs open, emitting the worst pain ever.

This time, I let it all go. I screamed bloody murder.

I could see his grinning face splattered with red, coming down on me every time he thrust inside me faster and harder. I screamed again and dug my fingers into his back, only intensifying the pleasure he was feeling then.

The last amounts of energy were slipping away from me and my eyeballs began to roll back into my head. His menacing howl was the last thing I heard before I felt myself fade.

…

He pulled himself off her and grinned at his handy work, the walls and her skin drenched in red. He saw the whites of her eyes and sighed, disappointed that it was already over. He hauled her corpse over his shoulder, leaving the filthy room and out into the cold. Once he had found a desolate and hidden area, her body was left behind like trash.

* * *

_Come on, wake up. You know it's not over yet. I didn't do this to you for nothing. Quit acting weak. You know what you can do._

If another man had walked passed, he would have seen a body that seemed impossible to save. Yet in fact, the wounds were closing up, slowly but steadily, and the blood had dried within seconds in the cold.

It didn't take long, just a couple of minutes. Eventually, my eyes opened once again.

My body was stiff, so stiff like ice that it was almost impossible to move at all. But over time, I eventually worked to move my fingers first before advancing to my arms, toes, and then my feet.

My hand grasped the wall. It was a giant struggle to get back up. I leaned against the wall for a moment, sucking in a piercing breath before staggering along the brick. Like a broken doll traveling forth.

A lone overcoat was left inside a rubbish bin which I collected immediately, pulling my arms through the sleeves.

My throat burned like a raging fire. I felt so parched and desperate, aching for the one thing that would douse the immense flames growing inside me.

That scent, his scent. I could still smell him no matter how far he may be.

My legs moved fast and quietly, as if they hadn't gone through what seemed like hell.

I breathed heavily yet I wasn't tired at all. I just wanted that man. I wanted him in my clutches.

My travel was a blur, but I found myself entering a bleak bar in what seemed like minutes later. Barely anybody but that man, and a woman sitting beside him, was there. It was the late hours of night.

He was hungrily kissing her before she giggled and pushed him away. She seductively smeared her red lipstick and walked on the small stage in the middle of the bar. The slow music began to play with the blue light beaming on her.

I snuck up behind him, my bare legs nudging into his. My fingers trailed up his back before resting on his shoulders and giving him a small squeeze. He moaned and turned around as I sat in his lap, rubbing myself against his lower region. He smirked, not able to see me very well since it was so dark. I neared his face and licked him sensually, driving him mad with desire. I wrapped my legs around his core and he took this as an invitation and carried me, bringing me into the restroom.

Once there, he attacked my lips, shoving his tongue inside as I played along, kissing him back. My eyes were open and turned into that crimson red again.

He released me shortly and his hands wandered under the coat I was wearing, touching me as much as he pleased. I seized this chance to take hold of his face, making him look me straight in the eye.

He had that same grin I remembered. But that expression eventually faded when he recognized who I was.

"Y-you're…" he breathed, unable to believe that I was still alive.

My mouth reached his ear and I whispered, his eyes widening when I came to his neck.

I licked my lips. It was his turn to scream.

And just like me, no one heard his cry.

…

_He didn't save me. I was suffering. I thought I could depend on him. I keep denying, but can't stop believing…that he'll come...soon._

I leaned against the wall with my legs sprawled on the ground. My vacant eyes were lost.

_Where are you? I miss you…_

My tongue lapped up the residue of his blood off my lips.

_He is the reason why I'm not...human. Not anymore._


	2. Blonde Beauty

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

She stared for the longest time at the cold floor beneath her, lying there helpless and tossed aside without a thought. She rubbed her frozen bare feet together in an attempt to warm them, closing her eyes and trying to get a little sleep.

Someone nudged against her head. Another bumped against her back. The women around her were huddled so close together, distraught and scared for their lives.

She furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as one of them had been sobbing for hours and was still wailing like a child. Others whispered amongst themselves, some adding in to the wasted tears.

"Why me…why me….why me…what did I do to deserve this…?" A girl next to her kept repeating herself over and over.

The young woman was about to reach her last nerve with every 'Why me?' the girl uttered in the dark.

"Why me?"

_Why you?! What about us?! Shouldn't you be saying why _us_?!_

"Why me?"

_Be quiet! Shut up! It's not all about you!_

"Why me?"

She had had it and jolted up from her laying position. She immediately faced the wailing girl, who was rocking back and forth, with her sister trying to hush her. Just as she was about to scold, they heard _those _voices coming down the putrid hallway. Rats scurried away when the light from the men's torches came near.

"Damn, another one? Boy, are we gonna be rich…"

"Don't you remember? We ain't gonna be rich because that fuckin' bastard's only payin' us half the price for these strays."

Their footsteps came closer, along with the sounds of jangling chains.

"'Ey…I've been thinkin'…can we keep this one? She's mighty gorgeous…I've never seen one like 'er before!"

All the girls around her were silent as the rodents. She narrowed her eyes, eavesdropping on the conversation while the man struck his friend over the head.

"If we_ were_ allowed to keep her, what makes you think that _you're_ gonna be the one with the honor?"

"_'Ey_ what are ya tryin' to say?!"

"Gotta work your way up the ladder bub! Anyway…kinda surprised this wench ain't struggling to get free…"

The other females backed away immediately, staying in the shadows as the men threw in another addition. The caramel blonde couldn't hide fast enough. That man, known as Abner, spotted her, his dirty smirk looking just as gruesome as when he took away the last thing she had left. Because of him, she was no longer pure. That was the last time she ever tried to escape…

"Hey Eva…how's it goin' baby? Miss me?" he grinned, entering the large cell they were in. He towered over her, making her seem very small and her eyes grow large in fear.

He kneeled to her level and brought his rough fingers to her soft face, caressing her cheek before holding her chin. "Still beautiful as always. You know…you can get away from all this if you agree to be mine."

"Eh? But I thought we weren't supposed to keep any of-"

"SHUT UP!" he roared and threw a pebble at his friend's head.

He turned to Eva and grinned. "Whaddya say?"

She trembled as he neared close to her face. His breath smelled of whisky and he boldly licked her cheek. When she didn't make any move to respond to him, he pulled away with hard eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"You gonna answer me? You filthy good-for-nothing-"

She spit in his face and he immediately retaliated by punching _her_ square in the face with full strength. The women behind her gasped, some crying again as Eva touched her cheek, feeling blood seeping out of her mouth. Eva noticed the new girl on the floor look up at her abruptly and she froze in shock at seeing the girl's eyes flash red.

"Whaddya starin' at baby when handsome's right in fronta ya?" He spread his arms open.

Eva scooted farther away from him, sending him a piercing glare. He merely scoffed and glanced down at the new girl on the floor.

"Fine then, if you don't wanna accept my offer…then maybe I'll just take her instead," he chuckled, the sight of the girl's pale skin feeding his growing lust. He reached out, stroking a hand slowly up her bare thigh, working his way to her bum.

Eva gasped when the girl hissed at his action and used the leg he was touching to kick him in the chest, sending him crashing against the iron bars of the cell. More gasps and shrieks erupted from the women in the shadows as the man breathed heavily with as much surprise as the spectators.

"'Ey! Are you alright?" his friend blurted, reaching his arm through the bars to touch the man's shoulder.

Abner shrugged him away and stomped up to the girl, ready to inflict severe punishment when Eva suddenly intervened and shielded the girl from his powerful kick.

"P-please...d-don't…" she managed to whisper, still trembling.

His foot froze in midair, hovering over her for a moment before he sneered and turned on his heel. Before he and his friend left the cell room, he sent her an evil grin. He leaned against the bars and slammed his hands against them, emitting a loud clang.

"Guess you got a new worthless bitch to play with huh?" He spit into the cell to return the favor before the two thugs sauntered off.

Eva brought her arms down and hugged herself to steady her shaking, shutting her eyes while the fearful women dispersed from the back of the cell and returned to their original positions.

None of the girls bothered to look or ask if she was okay-the only one being the girl that Eva defended as she took hold of the blonde woman's shoulder. Eva fidgeted on reflex and turned slowly to see the new girl face to face.

"A-are you okay?" Eva asked, composing herself and blinking back the water in her eyes.

The young woman nodded slightly and gently touched where the man had struck her. Eva gasped, not at the pain, but how eerily cold this woman had felt against her skin. Sure, she herself hadn't been warm for the longest time, but this woman…it wasn't exactly normal.

"O-oh, I-I'm fine…it's nothing. I've been through worse," Eva tried to pass off a smile.

The woman's eyes went downcast and she moved to the wall, propping herself up against it with her legs folded to the side. Eva frowned and crawled next to her, tilting her head to examine her face. Her eyes grew in wonder as she realized those men weren't _just_ thinking with their lower regions. This woman beside her was indeed beautiful, yet her face was still as stone. It held no life at all, like she was actually dead inside.

Eva narrowed her eyes as she noticed another abnormal aspect of her, her marble white skin. She couldn't put her finger on it, because although it was frightening to think that a human could get that pale, it enhanced this mysterious beauty the woman was not willing to flourish. She had long hair that seemed a dark rosy-purple. Eyes that held nothing but the color of a deep ocean blue.

And the last thing that Eva noted about this woman was these thin long lines scattered on her legs. Her eyes remained locked on them in a daze.

The woman lifted her head with the smallest movement, seeing that Eva was staring at the old wounds. Eva gasped when she saw her watching and moved back slightly.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare for so long but…uh….w-wow...not that I'm…trying to offend!" she quickly added, though the woman didn't show any sign that she was affected negatively.

In an attempt to brighten the situation, Eva lifted her ragged dress to reveal her own legs. "I have some scars as well…most from lashes…I...I guess that's where you got yours from?" she smiled tentatively.

The woman didn't answer and Eva understood with a soft nod of her head. After a minute of silence, she spoke up again. "M-My name's Eva…if you wanted to know…well….I guess you won't tell me yours. I understand…"

Eva carefully turned to look at her again, finding that the woman seemed to be in pain as she clenched her throat tightly, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright? Wh-what's the matter?" Eva stuttered, lifting her hands but hesitating to touch her. The girl shifted her head and gave a thin smile, coughing lightly.

Eva looked at her worriedly. "That's terrible. You must be very ill…and to think that we were all forced into this rat hole." Her attention directed elsewhere when she overheard what the girls behind her were saying.

"…Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I overheard the men a while ago…they say we're being transferred to this rich noble! I heard he's very handsome and is actually a good person!"

"Tch, that's what they _all_ say! You can't tell me you actually believe that rubbish!"

"Yeah! Honestly, the only thing that lies ahead of us is being sold left and right…"

"But I heard that the noble likes to keep some girls with him based on his preferences!"

"Preferences? Oh no, what if I don't get picked?"

"I'm so nervous! Now I have to worry about how to look good enou-"

Someone growled at their girlish nonsense and cut in. "You're all so naïve! Haven't you heard the more _important_ news! This murderer called 'Jack the Ripper' is killing off all the prostitutes! You know what that means!"

A girl gasped loudly. "But that's unfair! We're not _even_ prostitutes!"

"Some of us are…"

"Well some of us were _forced_ to be sex slaves!"

"Will you all be quiet? Those men could come back and punish us for disrupting them!" Eva shushed them with a warning glance.

One of the girls scoffed and glared at her. "Let them come! Since you're already on _good _terms with him after all, maybe he'll take you away. Then perhaps that'll give us more of a chance to be noticed by that rich noble!"

Eva rolled her eyes. "Yeah, a chance heightened by one…what an achievement…"

The girls huddled closer together, leaning heads against shoulders and laps.

"This is awful. We're filthy and we smell horrid. That noble will just sell us immediately without even a passing glance…" the girls lowered their voices to a whisper.

"It's all about the money…"

"Don't lose hope just yet!"

"Too late, I lost hope the day I was left on the streets."

Ragged breathing started, signaling another round of hopeless tears. Eva sighed and settled down onto the ground again, resting her head against the icy floor. She closed her eyes and lay still for a moment before clasping her hands together, thinking of a prayer.

"Please…please…all I want…is a brighter future. Somehow, some way, I hope someone will come take me away from all this…" she whispered, thinking of the noble and imagining what he'd look like.

The mute woman beside her heard every word she had uttered even though it was barely audible. She watched Eva shake from the freezing temperature of the night. She thought of moving closer to give her body warmth, but knew immediately it'd be useless on her part.

She watched all the other girls slowly drift into sleep while she brought her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

She thought about _him _all through the night.

* * *

"Move it! Come on, we don't have all day! Get a move on! Keep in line!" Abner demanded, striking girls randomly with his crop.

Eva winced, expecting to be hit but instead, her chin was lifted and she slowly opened her eyes to see the man smirking at her, holding her face up with the short whip.

"One last chance doll. Before it's too late," he reminded her before shoving her forward with his hand.

Eva stumbled, bumping into the girl in front of her, who pushed her and caused her to collide into the pale-skinned woman behind her. Eva felt hands gently apply pressure on her back, keeping her steady. Eva looked over her shoulder, smiling at the silent girl, who nodded and coaxed her to keep moving. All of them were mobilizing together in a single file line, their hands and feet bound with chains.

They were all led towards a large carriage, in which they were stuffed shoulder to shoulder in the barely large enough space in the back. The girls immediately grew nervous and chattered amongst themselves while the men hurried to the front, whipping the horse before they were on the move.

Eva glanced to her ally beside her, who didn't look her way but instead gazed forlornly outside the small window.

She touched the girl's cold hand. "Are you afraid?" she asked, rubbing her thumb against her skin for comfort.

The girl angled her head at her, those eyes not showing a hint of life. No, she answered, with a shake of her head.

Eva's eyes widened slightly, that answer not what she expected. Then she smiled confidently.

"Alright, if you're not scared…then I won't be either."

* * *

Eva gasped in surprise, finding she had fallen asleep when someone beside her nudged her awake. She lifted her head off the person's shoulder and looked up to see the girl watching the carriage doors open. The men instantly pulled the ladies outside.

The usual pushing and shoving went on with Eva groggily stumbling out, trying to rid the sleep spell that hung onto her. It was too dark for her to see what was going on, her eyes still adjusting to her surroundings. Was her friend still behind her? She wasn't sure, but hoped that the person walking close to her was indeed that woman.

Before she knew it, they were entering a dimly lit building. The sound of robust laughter and rowdy shouting filled their ears.

Men. And lots of them.

"I bid 500!"

"550!"

"600!"

"Going once? Going twice?"

Loud cheers overwhelmed what else was said while the women continued walking by, some men wolf-whistling when they caught a sneak peek of fresh meat. Eventually, the ladies gathered in a large hidden room, the sounds of the current auction muffled but still loud either way.

"Hey! Oi! You there!" Abner shouted and whistled.

A different man appeared and Eva gulped, getting gravely nervous now even though she decided she would be brave.

Abner smirked and nodded before the other guy he had spoken to walked away. He then turned to the ladies, his expression fading to anger. "Hey! Who said you were allowed to scatter? Get back in line you dirty whores!"

He snapped his crop at the ones who had wandered off in curiosity at the auction. Eva shut her eyes when someone collided into her with Abner whipping the woman over and over. "I hate that nasty look of yours! Show some respect!"

Eva couldn't hold back her grin when she noticed her friend was behind her again, a menacing glare currently crossing her face at Abner. She looked at Eva and only then did her expression soften.

"Guess we're always bumping in to each other huh?" Eva whispered before the man called for attention again.

Abner bowed in respect at the figure entering the room. There was a hint of disdain on his face as he forced a smile.

"I'm so honored to be in your presence Lord Aleister. Truly honored indeed. I have found and brought these women here after a long time of traveling."

"I see! How delightful! Brilliant job sir, we will surely have quite the auction tonight!"

Eva's eyes widened in shock at the man before them, the Viscount of Druitt or Lord Aleister Chamber beamed brightly at the ladies. He indeed was of high stature, with his spotless white clothes and flawless demeanor. His blonde hair shined in the dim light like stars and his purple eyes gave a hint of excitement and mischievousness all at the same time.

The girls were dead silent and stayed in a straight line as the Viscount inspected each of the girls before approving and turning them away towards the auction stage.

"Such lovely young ladies! I'm very pleased. We'll certainly have to raise your pay now won't we gentlemen?" he commented in an enthusiastic tone.

The men muttered excitedly to each other and it was finally Eva's turn to be examined. She felt ashamed and embarrassed by her disheveled appearance in front of this man, whom she couldn't keep her eyes off of. He indeed was beautiful and like an angel in her eyes. She wondered if her prayer would be answered then.

It may have been her imagination to think he seemed to take longer to examine her compared with the other girls. It was like slow motion. Her heart beat fast and loud in her chest, swallowing hard as his gloved hand gently spun her around with his eyes scanning up and down. Her breath was nearly taken away when he stopped spinning her and grasped her chin instead, staring her straight in the eye with those violet orbs. She felt her face grow warm and he smirked at that, rubbing his finger on her chin.

"Mm…this one is quite extraordinary…" the Viscount spoke, his smirk growing wider.

"Ha-ha…I'll say," Abner agreed, crossing his arms.

Eva started trembling again, the suspense growing the longer the Viscount held onto her.

Then, after what seemed like forever…

"Alright, she may go now," he said with a prompt grin, patting Eva's cheek before the men pushed her forward.

Eva's heart shut down on her like time suddenly stopped. How could this have happened? She had thought…she had truly felt she would be different…chosen by him! Fate was wronging her again. Every step she took now seemed to sink lower and lower into the ground…

The pale-skinned woman gasped quietly, staring worriedly at Eva disappearing from her sight. She was well aware of the deep disappointment Eva was enduring. She sneered in disgust at Abner, who all along wanted Eva for himself, and now that she was excused, nothing was going to stop him from laughing in victory.

"Goodness! Someone's rather ecstatic! Settle down now. Let's see...who is next!" the Viscount grinned at Abner before turning to the woman.

The woman narrowed her eyes when his own widened at once, completely taken aback.

"Oh my…oh my…" he muttered to himself, his mouth opened slightly as he reached his hand out, holding _her _chin now.

The woman glared in annoyance as he kept moving her face to scan all her angles. His hand then crept down to her waist, his purple eyes boring into her blue ones before making a move she most definitely didn't expect. The girls shrieked when the Viscount dipped her low like they were dancing on the ballroom floor.

"Oh! Bless the Goddess of Beauty! You are simply w-w-WONDERFUL!" he exclaimed in bliss, the woman's glare hardening at this noble's outlandish behavior.

He pulled her up, making them come too close for her liking as she kept a hand on his chest to keep the distance. His fingers neared her face again and she held back the urge to bite that hand of his senseless. He reached for her hair this time, the fuchsia locks slipping through like silk. She refused to look him in the eye, yet she could feel _his _boring holes on her eyelids.

Abner cleared his throat, disturbing the awkward moment. "Excuse me, Lord Aleister? I don't mean to rush you but there are much more girls to go throu-"

The Viscount blinked rapidly before bringing that genuine smile back on his face.

"Ah, of course young sir."

He then looked at the woman in his arm once more and his smile grew. "Please escort this lovely lady to my chambers!"

Abner's jaw dropped in shock while the girls waiting in line began bawling their eyes out. Some glared daggers and turned away.

Abner scratched the back of his neck. "My lord, are you sure? I mean…this one is new and she…I don't think you want her. She's a strange one and she's honestly not as gorgeous as the woman you just dismissed…"

She nodded in whole-hearted agreement, she didn't deserve this. If anything, Eva did!

The Viscount simply shook his head with that fake smile plastered on his face. "I'm afraid I have made my final decision. Please, take her to my chambers at once!"

He suddenly laughed, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Oh my…I just realized! 'Chambers' and my name is in fact 'Chamber'! Hah! 'Take her to Chamber's chamber!' Oh goodness, that's genius!"

He continued laughing insanely at his own joke as Abner rolled his eyes. He then jerked his head at his friend to take her away. The woman refused to move and scratched the friend's face once he touched her arm.

"OW! WHAT IN HELL-?"

The Viscount stopped his cheer and looked over his shoulder with a curious expression. "Hmm? What is the matter?"

Abner gritted his teeth as his friend sank to the ground, holding his wound. The woman's eyes flashed but before she could attack, Abner intervened and locked her arms behind her back, cuffing her quickly.

He spit the toothpick out of his mouth and growled. "Bitch…choosing _now _to fight? You better get your ass out of here or my gun will say otherwise."

The woman merely sneered, as if to challenge him to do so.

Abner pushed her to the ground and patted his friend's back, who stumbled to his feet with a raging mood and bleeding face. The woman cringed at the familiar pain and the tempting scent, giving the friend the perfect opportunity to get her out of there.

The woman's fierce energy disappeared and was replaced with sudden desperation. She looked behind her, glancing back at the girls who refused to look at her. Deep sadness was written on their faces as the Viscount dismissed each one by one. She passed by the auction again, the bidders' voices raising in volume the closer she approached.

"SOLD TO THE MAN UP FRONT!" the host applauded, leading a girl down the stage.

She searched for Eva, trying to see her once more. Finally she did spot her but the ache in her chest deepened when she saw Eva's distraught face. The blonde woman's mouth opened when she realized why she was being taken away. The pale woman shook her head vigorously, a lump filling her throat along with the flames. Her eyes tried to convince Eva otherwise that this wasn't what she had hoped would happen, that _Eva _was the one who should've been chosen.

Tears crawled down Eva's face and she dropped her head, turning away from her with the same sadness the others felt. The light from the auction was vanishing from her eyes and the man pulled her more vigorously each time she struggled against the chains.

They trudged up the stairs. The man flung her into the room without a care, slamming the door. The click of the lock echoed in her ears. Darkness flooded her vision and drowned her mind and body. Her fists clenched hard enough to draw blood, and she screamed in agony.

* * *

I was stuck here. Stuck in this hell. Stuck somewhere. Stuck in the phase of waiting.

And yet…as loud as I screamed, why couldn't he hear me? _Why?_

I thought that someday, he'd come to his senses. He'd change his mind for me. He'd come save me and take me back, tell me he loved me. Tell me he'd never do that to me again.

I thought getting into all this danger, this suffering, would make him worry and regret. I threw myself willingly into this…this sick idea of using women.

Everything I did was to get him back. I wanted him with me. I was desperate. It was almost too much to handle!

_Hear me! Damn you, I know you can! _

_Save me! Please!_

…

I didn't realize I had stood up off the marble floor. Zombie movements took me outside to the balcony, the night breeze blowing my hair to the side. This was all wrong. I was the most hideous monster in this world. How could that numbskull honestly think otherwise? I hated it…to think that someone instead of _him_ was the one who wanted me.

How long I stood out there? I didn't know. I didn't care. The far off distance from this balcony was quite tempting…

I placed my hands on the white stone before pulling myself up and sitting on the ledge. I watched my feet dangle. A sick smile almost crossed my lips.

The sound of doors opening was dull to me. The whistling wind from below was loud to me.

Those arms pulling me back felt like nothing. My feet leaving the balcony felt like lead.

"Goodness what on earth do you think you're doing dillydallying in the cold like that? Come, sit on this bed."

The Viscount forced me down onto the mattress. I still didn't look at him.

"No, no…this isn't right! A beautiful woman such as you shouldn't be sulking! Now tell me…what is your name dear one?"

When he waited and realized I would not answer him, he lifted my face up, making me look into those nauseating eyes of his. Yet he beamed with glee when he finally saw mine.

"Ah…you do not wish to speak? My sweet canary, you mustn't be so shy! I would never harm such… delicate skin…" With that being mentioned, he traced a finger down my cheek, down my jaw, to my neck, stopping at my chest.

His face neared mine and I feared what he intended to do.

"Should we warm up? Get to know one another?"

His lips pressed near my ear, slowly making their way toward the center.

I panicked, thinking quickly on how to distract him for a moment. I then noticed his neck was clear and visible, right in front of my nose. I smelled his scent…smelling of fancy perfume…smelling of something much more delicious than that.

The instinct took over and before I could stop myself, my tongue escaped between my lips and slathered his neck. I felt the Viscount gasp in surprise before shuddering in pleasure when I continued licking his soft spot.

He pulled me back, a growl erupting in my throat before his lips pressed onto mine briefly. I winced in disgust and pushed him off. He took this as playful aggression and instead attacked my neck, his gloved hands traveling down to my front, sneaking his fingers onto my breast. I hissed and placed my hands on his shoulders, trying to keep him from advancing while my lips traveled back to his neck like a magnet and my tongue hungrily lapped up the delicious taste.

The Viscount pulled me back again, a lustful smirk on his face. Before he could do anything more however, a knock of the door interrupted.

"My lord? Sorry for the disturbance but I must speak with you for a moment. It concerns the social gathering tomorrow!"

"Ah! Yes! Just a moment!" the Viscount spoke in that happy tone of his.

He winked at me and yanked my front to bring me close.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll be back in a minute~!" he sang in my ear before pecking me on the cheek and heading out the door.

I watched him go with relief, wiping my mouth briskly with the back of my hand. I can't believe that I almost gave in.

The sound of flapping wings entered my senses and I turned, spotting a white bird perching itself on the balcony railing. I walked outside on the balcony once again, my footsteps silent so as not to scare the bird.

A white dove.

_His_ face flashed in my head. Oh, the irony.

That prickling pain burned at my insides again, demanding me to put out the fires before it would burn me alive. I staggered backwards, searching for something, anything.

I pondered my wrist, no, my body yearned for something more.

The white dove stared at me intensely as I controlled my body from thrashing violently in dire hunger.

Then it hit me. The next thing with a beating heart was with me at that moment. It was plainly in sight, sitting there innocently.

My fangs ached at the thought of finally sinking my teeth into flesh after holding back long enough. I lifted my head, the black eyes of the dove reflecting the blood red of mine at that moment.

I walked closer.

The bird didn't move.

I opened my mouth, revealing the sharp canines.

It stayed put.

…

"My canary? You haven't wandered off have you? Ah…" he looked pleased at the sight of me still on the bed with my back turned to him.

He held his hand out to me. "Come my dear, we must take our leave now. Many things await us."

My tongue flicked the side of my mouth and I hid the red that stained my hand, putting on a smile and using my other hand to take his.

He smirked, a glint in his eye that showed his true intentions.

"Good girl. Let us go."

Leading me outside, I glanced over my shoulder for a second before descending out that room, never to return.

Out on the balcony, a sickening mess stained the stone floor. In the middle of it all, the white dove lay. Its once pure feathers were slowly getting stained by blood.

Its black eyes remained opened, reflecting that ravenous monster leaving the room…

It lay silent and frozen forever.


	3. One Dance

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

_The tears just keep coming and won't cease. They could go on forever._

_It's too blurry to see. Everything just seems to delve into oblivion._

_The pain is too much. Yet, I keep adding onto it, more and more._

_Now it's all red. The blood is overflowing. _

_Stop! Don't go any further!_

_Nothing can reach me now. Everything's dark red. It's all I can see._

_Sobs rack my body. I can't stop…won't stop._

_This is what you gave me…_

_I think I'm gone now…and I'm so alone._

* * *

The sleeve of my old and ragged dress slipped off my shoulder, the dirty cloth falling down to the ground and leaving me in only underwear. I hesitated to look up. To see what has become of me over the past two years.

It didn't surprise me to see that I was in a horrible state, even though it may not be seen so easily on the outside.

Even though they were completely healed now, as if they hadn't been made recently, the stab marks the man had inflicted on me left multiple crooked scars that would probably stay on my skin forever. It didn't matter if I was human or not.

Some I remembered from whip lashings when I had first gotten myself in all this mess. I could still recall those monsters' faces so clearly. But the majority of the scars were from a knife. And that man wasn't the only one who contributed to these cuts.

There were several that scattered on my shoulders. I knew there were longer ones on my legs from the whips. The ones on my arms…I wish I could forget how that had happened…

My eyes locked onto my fingers that slowly rose to the words etched onto my body. It was weird that I had almost forgotten about these specific scars even thought they were new.

My fingers traced the letters and I could hear that man's voice echoing in my head, including the way he had said each letter aloud through maniacal laughter. An eerie burning sensation seared underneath my skin, even though it was a weak touch.

_Leech _was written in jagged letters diagonally on my stomach. I turned my back to the mirror, strands of my hair falling over my shoulder while I looked at the words he had etched behind.

_Dirty_

_Worthless_

_Unwanted_

These were the three that I read, though each of these words was a lot smaller than the one on my stomach. But size didn't matter.

An odd idea wandered into my head. Perhaps I could do something about these words in an attempt to make them discreet.

I went into a daze and my eyes scanned over the desk in front of the mirror. They stopped on the skinny blade used for opening up letters. My skin-cracked hands curled over them and my eyes stayed glued on the reflection of the blue eyeball staring back.

Oh, the ideas that swarmed in my head. What a delight it would be to see all that replay once aga-

I snapped out of my daze and stepped back, dropping the blade on the ground. How could I have thought of doing that? No, I can't. Not again.

I quickly shook those thoughts out of my brain, concentrating now on the dress that awaited me on the bed. I walked over, my hand now in contact with the soft fabric and holding it up towards me. White was its color, just like his outfits. Or white, like that bloody bird. Or an angel.

Those comparisons meant nothing to me, but the fact that it was a white dress forced my mind to bring back more of the past.

Damn…why couldn't I just forget it all? Why am I still holding on?

I briskly put the dress on without another thought. But then I realized my arms were bare in this dress…not good. I searched around through the large room, opening drawers and closets until I stumbled upon elbow length white gloves. Not exactly what I wanted, but for now, it had to do. Before I stood up, something fell from the closet and I bent down to see that it was a masquerade mask.

Perfect, now I could just blend in with the crowd and find a way to get out of this ridiculous place. I placed it over my eyes and right when I was about to open the door, someone beat me to it. I waited to see who it was and felt relieved when it was _not_ the Viscount.

The young woman who opened the door looked angry. She glared at me and rudely grabbed my arm, pulling me forward.

"Why were you taking so long in there? You know Lord Aleister isn't a patient man!" she snapped at me.

She then turned around to inspect my outfit and snorted.

"Why on earth are you wearing that mask? It's not a masquerade ball!"

She pushed her face near mine in a huffy manner. I could see the heavy mascara, red lipstick, and white powder she put on and, for once, almost burst out laughing at how much she was trying to prove herself that she was worth it. I only knew that she was one of the many women the Viscount kept for himself. And then, he'd probably sell them away again. Or kill them. Take your pick.

Either way, it seemed she may be next since she was the only other woman with him. Obviously, she hated me.

I didn't answer her of course, which made her even more pissed. She then slapped me across the face, like she had the authority to do that.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Can't speak or is it that you _refuse_ to speak? You don't deserve Lord Aleister! I've been with him longer than you have and _you_ are the one who deserves to be sold to some lousy old bag! You _are_ simply a whore after all."

_Alright then. First of all, I'm not the only whore around here. Secondly, been there, done that. And thirdly, you're absolutely right! I don't deserve him! Eva should be here, not me. I should be dead by now._

My face showed no sign of emotion and she slapped me again before dragging me down the corridors and down the stairs. As we approached the party already in session, I could hear the laughter, chatter and music getting louder. With each reluctant step, I yearned to get out of there.

She opened the door and the light from the ball shined in my eyes. There were many people in every corner, some even sitting on the stair railings. No surprise that the Viscount was popular and knew nearly _everyone_ in England or outside of England for that matter.

My skin crawled being among so many people at once. I wasn't used to this since I had not been in contact with anybody decent for years, let alone in the light. For a long time, it had been just stray women, men, more men, and the dark.

The woman's grip around my arm immediately loosened when she spotted the Viscount. A beam immediately set on her face and she waved her hand.

"Lord Aleister! Lord Aleister! Over here!"

Oh no…

I looked away, pretending that I was someone else, glad that she let go of me. She excitedly ran over to the Viscount, who nearly dropped his glass of wine when she threw herself in his arms.

"Oh Lord Aleister! Let's dance! You said that we could!" she pleaded, clinging onto his suit.

He fake laughed as usual and pushed her off him. "Now, now dear, remember what I told you? Don't embrace me like that in public silly sparrow!"

Wow, did he have a pet name for all the girls? And all the names have to do with birds!

She pouted and jutted her lower lip. "But, my lord, I couldn't help myself! You know I love you more than anything in the entire world!"

He put on a smile but in a way, it seemed devious. "Did you do as I told you, my sparrow? Did you get the canary?"

Her frown deepened at the mention of me but she sighed and answered him. "Of course I have my lord. She's right over-"

Her eyes widened when she found I wasn't behind her.

"What the-where the hell did that rat run off to?"

She panicked, afraid that she was going to upset her lord again. She turned back around, putting her best smile on her face.

"M-My lord, I-I'll find her straight-"

The Viscount had disappeared out of her sight before she could finish, leaving her jaw to drop.

Meanwhile, I was migrating myself in as many large crowds as possible. The scent of so many people overwhelmed my olfactory nerves, and it was almost too much for me to handle. I needed to get out of here quickly or else there wouldn't _be_ any future parties…

The music was beautiful, I had to admit and I watched happy couples waltz on the dance floor. Their bright smiles and loving gestures hypnotized me. Yet, it probed at the deep wounds that refused to heal. Everything grew numb as I found myself swirling in a deep daze again, thinking, imagining, wanting to see my obsession. My only one.

A cold hand on my shoulder knocked me back to reality and I moved back, emotions tucked away. The Viscount had inevitably found me.

"My dear, did you think that you could hide from me? You're easy to find with your hair color." he flourished, bringing my waist in his arm.

I cursed myself. I might as well have found a wig before I was forced down here.

His other hand slowly caressed the base of my neck before taking hold of my chin.

"My, my, are we still shy? Perhaps you and I could spend time together somewhere else…"

I couldn't think of anything else that disgusted me more than being in his presence. I politely moved away from him and tried to come up with a way to escape.

"Good evening Lord Aleister!" A shrill voice suddenly interrupted.

The Viscount and I turned our attention to a young girl with blonde ringlets separated into pigtails and a fancy, expensive looking dress. Her green eyes shined with glee and she curtsied to the Viscount.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to this ball! It's simply fantastic!" she commented excitedly, that grin on her face never fading.

The Viscount grinned and bowed himself. "Well of course Lady Elizabeth! Why, it'd be a crime if I hadn't invited a lovely young woman such as you!"

While she giggled, I rolled my eyes at his endless bullshit.

Elizabeth turned her attention to me and her grin widened from ear to ear. "Oh! Who's this? I've never seen you before! It's nice to meet you too!"

I glanced at the Viscount, who nodded and winked at me. I responded to her comment with a small smile and bowed.

She giggled again, surprising me by touching the dress I was wearing. "Oh I love what you're wearing! You look like a snow princess!"

Oh now I know she had to be joking.

"She certainly does, doesn't she? It complements her figure so well…" the Viscount lowered his voice on the last sentence, but loud enough for me to hear.

Elizabeth was oblivious and started going on about trying to find a girl with a 'cute pink dress'.

"I've been trying to approach her so many times! Have you seen her?" she asked me.

I shook my head and she sighed, but immediately rebounded with that smile.

"Well, I'm not giving up! If you'll excuse me, I'll be off!" she waved her hand before scurrying away.

The Viscount brought me close to his side once again. "Hmm...I wonder if that's the young girl Lady Elizabeth was talking about…"

His eyes were transfixed on a far off couple-a young girl and a tall man wearing black. I peered in the corner of my eye to see that the Viscount was star struck by their dance. As soon as the music finished, he took my hand and began walking forward.

"Come my dear, let's go and greet them!"

I begrudgingly followed, his grip on me tightening with his anticipation. I noticed the girl was kneeling on the floor right after the dance was finished, appearing to be catching her breath. The tall man beside her spotted us approaching and he whispered in the girl's ear. She turned around just as the Viscount stopped before them.

"Quite fascinating! Your dancing skills are simply magnificent, like a robin!" he clapped his hands.

The girl sent a nervous glance at her companion, who nodded and she smiled at the Viscount.

"I'm honored to be praised by you, Lord Aleister." She lifted her head after bowing. "I've been waiting for a chance to speak with you."

The Viscount grinned. "But of course!" He quickly glanced at me. "I'll see you shortly dear. Have fun!"

He waved me off before leading the girl away.

I watched them disappear in the crowd and sighed. I should have expected as much. Staying here any longer was a waste of time.

Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to see the tall man smiling politely down at me.

"If I may say, my lady, you look rather sad. Are you not having fun like your lord requests?" he tilted his head slightly, a small smirk crossing his lips.

My eyes widened a bit and I looked down. I guess I couldn't hide how I was feeling.

"May I have this dance?" he suddenly asked me.

Shock crossed my face and I stared at the gloved hand he offered me.

He chuckled. "It certainly wouldn't be kind to leave a lady standing here alone."

At first I couldn't move, and then I repeated what he had asked me in my head and before I knew it, my hand had taken his without hesitation.

His smirk grew at my apparent 'enthusiasm' and his fingers curled around mine. He led me gracefully on the dance floor and when the music started up again, so did the dance.

I gasped at how I had somehow moved in synch with him as he led me effortlessly across the floor, among many of the other couples. All of my thoughts and feelings escaped me in that moment; a heavy weight was lifted off my chest. What was this?

I took this chance to examine this man. He had black short hair cut in fringes, long bangs outlining his face. He wore glasses and took on the appearance of what looked like a tutor. His skin was pale, but looked beautiful in the light. What captivated me the most, however, were his eyes. They were so red, the same as what I craved each time. He really was…someone I had never seen before.

He was breathtaking.

I felt so light on my feet, like I was floating on a cloud with each step. I hadn't danced in years, but for some reason, I managed to keep up with him.

I couldn't believe this. A part of me wanted to stop but the other part of me wanted to keep dancing, only with him.

The music was guiding us, but eventually, it seemed like _we_ were guiding the music. We were making our own melody with our movements.

This was wrong. I had to keep reminding myself that this was just a dance. Soon after it was over, that would be it. I'd be back to myself.

While my conflicting feelings continued to battle, I stole a glance at his face once again. He seemed to be preoccupied with his own thoughts, but not too long later, he looked back at me and smirked once again.

Those eyes…his eyes.

Applause erupted, instantly bringing the moment to a close as the audience applauded the musicians for another fantastic number.

"Well now…"

I turned my attention back to him as he kneeled over slightly, bowing to me. I bowed my head back and he smiled.

"I'm afraid I must attend to some important matters." He held my hand up with his fingers. "But I thoroughly enjoyed our dance. It was a pleasure meeting you."

I swallowed, parting my lips like I was actually going to say something but stopped when he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. He then neared my ear and whispered.

"I bet you look quite beautiful behind that mask."

Before I could comprehend what he said or did, he was gone in a flash.

I held the hand he had kissed close to me, feeling warm for the first time in a long while. Yet, as soon as those thoughts were there, they disappeared.

It was just a dance.

The crowd began to scatter across the floor and I moved among them until I arrived at the food and beverage section, standing off to the side from then on.

Now, I could leave this place.

I turned to make my exit when someone suddenly crashed into me, spilling whatever they had all over my dress.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! What a disaster!"

I blinked and noticed it was a man with brown hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing glasses and butler attire. He was immediately trying to clean up the mess he had made, which included breaking two glasses of wine that had splattered on both of us.

I bent down in an attempted to pick up the glass. He grew flustered at my assistance and yanked the glass out of my hand.

"No, no! Don't bother yourself with the cleaning! I-It was my fault after all!" he stuttered.

I narrowed my eyes at him and then a loud voice interrupted.

"Grell! What do you think you're doing? Don't you know to keep your eyes open when you walk?" she scolded him, though she didn't seem entirely mad.

"F-Forgive me Madam Red! I…I won't do it again!" Grell replied, quickly trying to wipe the wine away.

"Hurry and hide the broken glass before we have to pay for those," she motioned her fan at him before she turned to me.

True to her name, she was entirely red, from not only her clothes, but her hair, lips, and eyes. She was elegant and looked like she was powerful in stature.

"I apologize for my butler's blunders. Oh dear, your dress is ruined!" She stared me up and down in apology.

I smiled and took a random handkerchief off the tables, wiping away at the large stain as she shook her head and grabbed my arm.

"Come, perhaps I can do something about the stain…"

I gently took her hand off me and shook my head, trying to urge her that it was alright. She frowned at me as I backed away and quickly moved out of her sight.

Madam Red opened her fan, waving it slowly as Grell appeared behind her.

"She's a little strange, that woman. I wonder why she didn't say anything…."

She turned to Grell, who immediately dipped his head down. "Keep your eyes open. I do mean that."

"Yes my lady."

I moved through the crowd once more, noticing that my finger was bleeding from when that butler had grabbed the glass from my hand. I hesitated before my tongue gingerly lapped up a drop.

What a tease. I could feel the monster inside me awakening once again. Just a little longer. I had to get out of here before I lost it.

Out of nowhere, people were cheering. I stopped for a second to see what was going on and saw the young man from before wearing a mask and appearing out of a large cupboard with multiple swords sticking out of it.

"Bravo!"

"Amazing! That's true magic right there!"

"He survived all those swords without a scratch? Impossible!"

His assistant held up one of the swords while the young man smiled at the crowd unscathed.

I hid behind a wall and watched the man speaking to Madam Red, who had appeared just then. That woman, called 'sparrow' by the Viscount, also walked into the scene. She sensed something and peered over her shoulder, managing to see me behind the wall. I glared at her and she simply smiled, wiggling her fingers at me as if encouraging me to leave.

I shifted my gaze and stole one last glance at the black-haired man. Just as he was about to turn around, I dropped my eyes and left.

I quickly walked through the empty corridors, avoiding any other people and distractions. I stole a more comfortable gray dress to change into along with a hooded cloak, both found in an open dressing room far away from the social event.

I peeled the stained white dress off my body and threw it on the floor. The sight of the red wine on the white caught my eye, making me pause…

_I should have died. I should have died back then…_

I ripped off the mask and white gloves, concealing my arms and face with the hooded cloak instead.

When I got outside into the winter night…the wretched world, the letter opener I dropped in the room found its way into my grasp.


	4. Crimson End

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I was used to people's disgusted expressions. One look and they'd turn away quickly, scared we prostitutes may attack them for money or the plain and simple reason: they don't want to have anything to do with dirty street rats.

Of course, some people weren't like that. Some were kind. They were like those big bright stars among millions of other tiny stars in a night sky.

A large splash of water suddenly woke me from my rest, soaking me completely from head to toe. I shuddered, pulling the cloak over my skin and stumbling quickly to my feet. In front of me, three men were standing, the one in the middle holding a dripping wooden bucket but all of them were snickering with toothy grins.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The one holding the bucket snapped, spitting to the side.

"Yeah, ha-ha! Shouldn't she be attacked by that 'Jack the Ripper' person by now?" the man on his left snorted, leaning against the wall.

Hmm…quite a nuisance I've stumbled upon. What to do…what to do…

"Maybe we should deliver her to Jack personally eh?" the man on the right suggested, punching his pal in the arm.

Energy began surging through my body and the fire also began to ignite inside me. I suppose it wouldn't hurt letting it take over for once.

I sighed in a tired way and slowly slipped off the hooded cloak around me, leaving me in the soaked dress that clung to my skin.

The man in the middle tossed the bucket over his shoulder, rolling up his sleeves and swinging his arms.

"Well, I dunno, maybe we can keep her for special purposes. She_ is_ nothing but a prostitute after all."

I began undoing the first button of the dress, then the second one, and the third…

"Wh-whoa…w-wow!" One of the men began to drool, wiping the slobber off his mouth.

The middle man smirked. "See? She knows how to do her job well!"

The dress now clung loosely and I backed up against the wall, acting vulnerable. He wasted no time and slammed his body against mine with his hands roaming all over me.

"H-hey…! Let me have my turn next!"

The man's ragged breathing filled my ears and I stared blankly at the filthy ground. My cold fingers trailed up his chest, making him more aggressive in his movements.

My hand stopped over his heart.

The men behind him screamed, backing away immediately when blood splattered on their bodies and the wall. I watched the man before me stare with shocked eyes, my hand having plunged right through the left side of his chest. With one swift motion, I yanked out his heart and his eyeballs went white, sinking to the floor with a heavy thud while I sank my teeth into the beat-less organ without hesitation.

"Sh-shit!"

"Run for it!"

My red eyes reopened and I dashed forward. When the men turned around, larger amounts of blood covered the scene…

I stood among the head-less, or heartless, corpses, licking my bloody fingers and exhaling in satisfaction with my tongue running along my sharp fangs.

_Delicious isn't it? Blood, you'll want more and more and more. You won't ever get enough…_

I gasped, my eyes returning to their original color. My hands trembled when I looked at them completely soaked in red.

Oh no…did I just…?

I shook my head over and over, clenching a fistful of my hair in exasperation. I had let myself go. I let myself murder people again. I let myself devour _humans._

_It's no big deal baby…they were dirty bastards who were going to do ugly things to you again. Just like the rest of them…_

Shut up!

I tried to shake that voice out of my head, the other side of me that wished to take over and would do so easily if I allowed it.

I stared at my hands again and looked to the side to see a barrel of rain water against the brick wall. I caught a glance of my reflection once I approached it and quickly washed away the blood off my mouth, letting my hands soak in there for a while.

The winter air didn't help at all. I reached for the cloak once I was done and lifted the hood over my head. I stepped out from behind the old building. I was off on my eternal journey once more, leaving behind another bloody mess.

I licked my lips, still tasting the thick red liquid from my fangs while I walked among the citizens of London.

Every day, every single damn day was spent walking without end. As always, I was lost.

My feet moved automatically down the streets and I let myself delve into my thoughts. I wondered if I could finish the job this time. I would make sure I wouldn't make any mistakes. I had it all planned in my head. Just got to find a place where no one would find me, no one would save me. Get it done and over with. The thought of that intense pain was something I would never forget. Something so sweet, the wait was killing me.

Those thoughts soon morphed into a peculiar image. I was seeing someone's head. I saw caramel blonde hair, her kind smile, and her hand touching mine for security.

My breath didn't come out in clouds like they used to once upon a time. It was sad that I was literally cold inside and out.

It was sad that I had briefly made a friend but didn't care. It was sad that I hadn't said anything to her because I wouldn't. She was nice to me but I didn't return her kindness.

Eva…I wondered where she was, where her destiny lied. The way she looked at me before the darkness took over…

A few dry tears managed to escape my eyes and I didn't bother wiping them away. A cold gust of wind blew past me again, yet the freezing temperature didn't affect me like it did to the people around me, who tightened their coats and secured their hats. How I yearned to be one of them. Without him around, life was useless. I hated what he had done to me.

"Mum? It's getting really cold…" I heard a young boy whimper.

"Don't worry, we're almost home. We can drink some hot cocoa together, how does that sound?"

"I can't wait!"

I pulled the hood over my eyes, feeling lonely when I watched the boy cling to his mother's arm and walk by with the highest of spirits. At least they were happy. Sometimes, I felt like I was part of another world when I saw innocence or joy. I was from a distant dark place that was too terrifying for children to enter.

I looked up absent-mindedly over the decreasing amounts of people walking about. Obviously it was getting late, the hour for darkness to reign.

My eyes wandered and then abruptly stopped on someone across the street. Something about this person-man I soon found-was oddly familiar.

I halted in my tracks when I studied him from afar. That brown hair, those legs, and those arms.

My eyes widened, it had to be him!

I watched the man turn a corner and without thinking, I dashed across the cobbled street. I didn't bother noticing if any carriages would come by.

I kept my feet moving fast, not wanting to miss this one opportunity that I had been waiting for the most. So many things I wanted to say and ask. _Did you really mean what you said? How could you have abandoned me like that?_

I saw another glimpse of him again and used all my energy to catch up to him. He was getting closer; my excitement grew at the thought of seeing him after all this time. My eyes began to well and blur my vision.

My mouth opened, about to yell out his name. I reached out. I was so close…

"Oi! How rude!"

Someone pushed me after I unknowingly bumped into them in my desperation. My footing began to fail and I found myself begin to sink forward. I saw the man before me turn around slightly before I caught sight of the ground. I shut my eyes and braced for impact.

I definitely crashed into something but it wasn't hard or painful. I felt arms around me and my spirit lifted at the thought that he had caught me.

"Goodness, are you alright?"

My mind froze. That voice…

I hesitated to look up. Oh god, please be him. Please tell me I heard wrong. Deceive me. I definitely, most definitely thought wrong.

My eyes met his, and the undesired disappointment set in like a smack in the face. I immediately felt stupid.

This stranger's face was full of shock and I realized I was still leaned over in his arms. I straightened myself up and swallowed hard, holding back my despair.

"Hey, a-are you alright? That was quite a nasty fall you took…" he asked me again but I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was staring at the ground.

He narrowed his eyes at me curiously and then his attention wandered to my wrist in which he firmly gripped. He caught sight of the stubby and worm-like lines scattered on my skin and gasped, horrified at the sight.

I looked up at him and my head screamed 'NO!' when I noticed him catching sight of those scars. His mouth opened, about to say something, but I hastily cut him off and yanked my arm out of his grasp. I ran away as fast as I could.

"Wait!" I heard him shout after me but his voice was already getting distant. I was far out of his sight.

I stopped and caught my breath, leaning against a damp brick wall as soon as I knew he or anyone else wouldn't see me.

I pulled my knees up against me and let out a shaky exhale. I closed my eyes and rested my chin on my crossed arms. Cold. Wet. Abandoned. Lost.

I breathed in and my body shook with the struggle of holding back my tears. Stop it, I told myself. I'm not supposed to have any tears left. I wasted them all years ago.

During the process of calming down, something disturbed the silence. The sound scared me, reminding me too much of what I had been through. A woman's scream.

From where I was sitting, it seemed like it was nearby. I got to my feet and walked towards the direction of the scream, preparing myself for any surprise attacks.

As I got closer, I could hear a woman's uncontrollable sobs. I saw a doorway up ahead and crept towards it. I winced when I heard the woman's cries get louder and gently pushed against the door. My eye scanned the area through the crack and didn't spot anyone at the moment. I then gathered up my courage and slipped through the entrance, closing the door quietly behind me.

"Shut up! Keep silent you useless wench!" Someone snarled.

I hid behind the wall and traveled along it, making my way closer to the commotion until I met another doorway. A soft glow of candlelight shined on the opposite wall and I peered over the wall. My eyes widened at what I saw.

A woman was tied and seated on an old bed, her clothes ripped and her makeup smeared on her face. From her appearance, I could tell right away that she was a prostitute. If she was here, then that meant…

My blood ran colder than it already had. That meant the man standing before her…was Jack the Ripper?

I examined the man more closely, finding it hard to make out what he looked like since it was dark. But then I noticed the type of clothes he was wearing and those glasses that he wore.

Surprise shook me once again. I couldn't believe it.

The man made a sound of disgust, sick of hearing the woman cry. He yanked her chin close to him, a box of various knives and other such weapons beside him, along with what looked like red paint.

He picked up a brush, dipped it in the rouge, and with one swift movement, covered her lips in the color.

The woman whimpered, tears still dripping down her face.

He then went to pick up a knife, the blade gleaming brightly in the candle light and looking oh so extremely...sharp.

I shook my head. No…no! My body jerked forward to move but stopped, as if forcing me to watch what would happen when I already knew.

The man grinned, showing a row of shark-like teeth and without further suspense; he stabbed the woman right in the heart.

My eyes reflected the scene and the woman let out one last ear-splitting scream, one that could be heard miles away.

The next thing I knew, my throat began to burn at the scent of freshly spilled blood. So sweet…so delicious. I shut my eyes and grasped my neck tightly. I can't still be thirsty! I won't kill anymore humans! I mustn't!

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

My reaction to the new voice was slowed through my struggle and I couldn't move.

"Grell! I believed you were careless and missed another rat!" the voice announced.

Someone's hand grabbed my hair and pulled me upright, dragging me into the room and throwing me on the ground.

"What! How dare this girl try to hide! Don't worry Madam, I shall take care of her this instant!"

"Wait!" the woman's voice shouted, halting him.

"Eh? Madam?"

I panted heavily, the scent of blood the only thing I could smell. I felt the woman pull me up again, turning my head so that she could see my face. I opened my eyes slowly, holding back my urge to bite.

"I knew it…I knew there was something that smelled off about you. Filthy, just like the rest of them."

Crimson eyes glared right through me. Madam Red, the high-class woman from the Viscount's ball.

She sneered and turned her head to her butler. "Grell! Finish your business. I'll take care of this one."

Grell groaned in frustration. "Oh please Madam! If I could kill one, I could definitely kill two! You don't need to waste your energy-"

"Do as I say Grell! And quickly! I believe we'll have company very soon!" Madam Red snapped, dragging me away.

Grell turned back to the dead prostitute and retrieved another knife, but I was taken out of sight before I could see what else he was going to do.

Madam Red took me to a different room. She didn't bother lighting any candles and instead, used the moonlight through the window.

"What a shame. You seem quite different from the rest of those filthy whores…"

Her red eyes examined me more closely and she smirked in amusement. "No, you are _extremely _different. In fact, I think I know what you are…"

She took hold of my chin and surprised me as she managed to open my mouth without struggle. Her smirk grew wider when she saw the fangs.

"Ah…all the more reason to get rid of you. You must have killed many innocent human beings just to satisfy your intense hunger. No wonder why I saw you squirming on the ground earlier."

She rubbed my chin with her thumb and sighed. "Well, as I said, too bad for you."

A dagger was suddenly plunged into my shoulder. I gritted my teeth, feeling the liquid instantly soak my skin. Her eyes showed no emotion and she continued the job, dragging her dagger through my chest, stabbing me diagonally until she pulled it out of the right side of my waist.

She simply let go of my hair and I toppled to the ground. She sighed again, wiping the blood off her dagger with her handkerchief. She gazed down at me once more.

"You should have found a better way to live."

The sound of her footsteps leaving the room was faint to my ears.

The pain…it was nostalgic. More of my blood began to puddle under me, soaking me completely. I closed my eyes and a weak smile crossed my lips.

I was happy.

* * *

"Well, that was rather over the top. What a mess you've made, Jack the Ripper…or should I say…Grell Sutcliff," the black butler announced, watching the seemingly innocent-looking butler appear out of the shadows, splattered with the prostitute's blood.

Grell raised a trembling hand. "N-No! You're mistaken! I heard the woman's cry and I came here to-"

"To kill her, of course. You can't fool us. You were already in the same room as the deceased so what other excuse could you possibly come up with?" the butler continued, his hand shielding his young master's eyes.

"Give up the act. You can't try to convince us otherwise looking like that. But I must say," he smirked. "Your act was quite believable. All this time…and I have to admit this is my first time meeting a 'human' like you."

Grell was silent for a moment, but in the next second, his outlook completely changed.

"Oh? Is that so?" Grell grinned, showing his razor teeth. His appearance changed before the butler and the young Earl, transforming into his true form.

"Well, I am quite the actress after all! But I suppose I could say the same about you since the name the Young Master gave you can't possibly be your real name!"

His hair grew long and turned red with a swift motion of his comb. He pulled on his gloves and red glasses.

"Now then, I should reintroduce myself to you dear Bassy!"

He placed a hand on his chest. "Butler of the Barnett family, Grell Sutcliff at your service~!"

Grell giggled in a girlish way and blushed. "It's certainly_ so_ much nicer to finally get out of that wretched disguise and appear before you as my true self! So then, Bassy, what do you think?" The red-head blew a kiss towards the black butler, earning a look of discomfort from him.

"As I thought, you're nothing but a death reaper. Funny that a death reaper would go so far as to become a butler," the butler teased.

"Ohh, come now Bassy! I had my reasons as I'm sure you do!" Grell grinned.

"And those reasons are…?"

Grell brought a finger to his cheek. "I've been captivated by a ravishing woman, whom shares my taste."

"That woman is…"

"You don't really have to ask do you?" A voice interrupted.

The young earl recognized that voice immediately and heard her footsteps approaching. He grasped his butler's hand and removed it from his eye, ready to face who he knew it would be.

The woman clothed in red appeared before them, her arms crossed and returning their gaze with indifference.

"Madam Red…so it was you…." The young Earl simply stated.

* * *

There was a loud commotion going on. I could hear it. It was faint at first, but as time kept passing, the noises got louder and my senses slowly began to return. The numbness was fading.

My eyes struggled to open, my face pressed sideways on the cold ground.

Sounds of what seemed like a machine went on, like some kind of gardening tool. It was odd.

As soon as the numbness was gone, I could feel the extreme pain radiating throughout my body. Moving was going to be a hassle.

Noises of walls getting destroyed joined in shortly, followed by voices that were barely audible through the building that I was still in.

Alright, time to get up. As I did so, my arms trembled to support the dead weight of my body. It took several tries to move my limbs. I crawled forward instead and used the faithful wall for support, staying patient until my legs were able to help me up.

Out of nowhere, my throat gurgled and blood exploded out of my mouth. I caught it in my hand and coughed, eyes blinking red. I gazed down at the blood and licked it up even though it would barely quench my thirst.

More of the commotion outside went on and I took a step forward, placing my right arm over my wound in an attempt to keep the blood from seeping out. I limped forward with what little energy I had and used it to reach the exit.

My foot stepped out onto the cobbled ground and I leaned forward to catch my breath.

"You can't escape me Bassy!"

My head lifted and I moved behind the wall to hide myself before watching another red-clothed figure slashing a chainsaw towards a man wearing all black.

The black butler caught the chainsaw between his hands but the ruthless weapon continued to grind down, dangerously closing in on his shoulder.

"You're so entertaining! I've been terribly bored trying to find humans to play with. My death scythe can cut through _anything_!" I realized this person to actually be Grell since he was the only other person with Madam Red.

Grell pinned the butler to the wall. "Regardless if you're a human or not, you'll be sliced in half!"

I briefly moved my attention to the two others closer to me and saw Madam Red standing near a young looking boy.

"…Why?" the boy asked.

She sneered at him. "You honestly expect me to give you a straight answer. You're the guard dog. I'm the sinner."

She reached for her dagger.

"If you were anyone else..."

She lunged forward, ready to attack.

"There'd only be one path for you!"

My eyes widened at the scene. The boy managed to dodge it but still gained a cut on his arm.

The boy winced in pain and held his wound. "Why did you murder those people?"

Madam Red seemed to have reached her limit, swiping her dagger downwards. "Even if I told you, a little brat like you would _never_ understand!"

She grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall, choking him. My mouth hung slightly and I began to step out of the shadows, gripping my shoulder. The blood soaked my fingers, reminding me of my injury but I didn't care. All I cared about now was…

The butler gritted his teeth, struggling with keeping the chainsaw away from him but at the same time trying to think of a way to get to his master.

Madam Red tightened her grip around the boy's neck, trembling with anger.

"You…you…."

She raised her dagger high in the air.

"IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"

"Young Master!" the butler shouted.

It didn't matter anymore. I fully stepped out into the scene and a sudden burst of energy emerged, helping me get to Madam Red within seconds.

The young boy gasped in surprise at my sudden appearance and Madam Red was pulled back. I was holding her arms from behind as tightly as possible, dragging her away from him.

"W-what? How dare you! Get your filthy hands off me!" she yelled, trying to yank her arms out of my grip but I wouldn't budge, wincing when she violently waved her dagger at me.

Grell watched in amusement and then turned back to the butler, who ducked his head right away when the reaper swung his weapon vertically. The butler glared, ready to do some serious damage but the red-head was already dashing back towards Madam Red.

"Don't worry Madam; I shall get rid of that wench once and for all!" Grell exclaimed with enthusiasm and raised his chainsaw.

I staggered backwards, keeping my hold on her secure when she suddenly dropped her dagger to the ground. Her resistance weakened and her arms slackened in mine.

Grell also stopped and set down his weapon, puzzled when he saw Madam Red break into tears.

"Madam Red! What is the meaning of this? Why can't you get rid of a simple woman and that brat?" he demanded, utterly distraught at her weak behavior.

"I can't…" she muttered.

"What?"

"I just couldn't. In the end, I can't bring myself to kill this child!" Madam Red cried, trembling.

My grip on her softened and I slowly let her go, resting my hand back on my wounded shoulder. Madam Red wiped her face from the falling tears, and Grell continued to stare at her in disgust.

"You're saying this _now_? But you've killed so many women! What difference does it make!" he barked.

Grell took another step towards her.

"If you don't finish the job, I'm afraid you may face the same fate as that boy-"

"No! You can't!" She blurted out and ran to shield the boy. "This child is my-"

The boy's eyes widened in horror when Grell abruptly struck her directly in her chest with the chainsaw, blood spraying out before she landed to the ground.

Grell sneered. "How disappointing Madam Red! I am no longer interested in ordinary women such as you!"

The rest of us watching saw what looked like a cinematic record coming out of her chest wound, presenting her life's story.

The cinematic record sped through the scenes and with each progression of her story, I soon understood her reason. Something that she wanted, the women she thought deserved to be punished…She was Jack the Ripper along with Grell.

Empathy flooded through me, along with more of disgust towards myself. She was right. I was stupid to think that I would get some kind of benefit by throwing myself on the wrong path like I did. Like I would be able to find the most important person this way…

The boy kneeled down beside Madam Red's corpse, his dark blue eyes blank. Grell swiped the blood off his weapon.

"All that hard effort wasted! She's no different from any other woman!"

He suddenly turned his attention to me. "And _you _are the perfect example of those useless creatures!"

I saw the chainsaw heading straight towards my head but I didn't move. I shut my eyes, my hand clenching onto my wound.

"Sebastian! Stop him!"

I felt a gust of wind blow over me and a dull clang followed after.

"My, how irritating. I was hoping I wouldn't need to use this technique."

I opened one eye first before opening both and seeing that the butler was in front of me, using his coat to fend off the cursed death scythe.

"Oh Bassy, you think something as simple as that can stop my-"

Grell cut off when he tried to slice through the cloth but found his weapon to be jammed. The more he struggled with it, the worse it became.

"Eh?! What is this?! I can't. Get it. OUT!" Grell shouted angrily, sprawled on the floor and struggling to pull the coat out in a childish fashion.

The butler sighed and crossed his arms. "It's a durable cloth made out of sheep's wool. It produces a large amount of static and obviously won't be easy to remove."

"WHHAAT!" Grell continued to whine.

"Sebastian!"

My gaze turned to the boy, seeing that he had a stern look on his face.

"Finish him off quickly. Jack the Ripper hasn't been fully eliminated yet!"

A smirk appeared on the butler's face and he bowed slightly. "Yes my lord."

I stepped back as the butler moved forward, hovering over Grell, who still attempted to fix his weapon. Grell soon noticed his shadow and looked up to see the butler smiling deviously.

"Well now, since you are now weapon-less, how about a nice fair fist fight hm?" he suggested, cracking his knuckles.

"W-wait...Bassy! M-My face!" Grell protested.

I watched in utter awe as the butler pounded the poor redhead senseless. Yet at the same time, he did it with a sort of grace compared to how other men would usually beat someone.

I inwardly cheered in excitement and bit my lip at how painful some of his kicks were towards Grell's face.

"Oh…Bassy…you certainly hit har-"

The redhead was interrupted when the butler took hold of his body and threw him sky-high.

Grell's scream faded away as he sailed far up and the butler turned around to me, giving a polite smile.

"Hello there. Fine evening isn't it?" he greeted and then tugged on his white gloves.

When Grell's yells were heard again, the butler simply jumped forward and did a spinning kick, knocking the redhead straight to the ground head first.

"You...you'll pay for this! Just you wa-AGH!" The butler slammed his foot onto Grell's face.

"Oh my, a reaper like you cannot be beaten to death? Well then, what if I use this?" he held up the reaper's precious weapon.

"W-wait! Stop! You can't really-AAAH!" Grell screamed again when the butler continued to brutally punish him.

"After all that's happened, I do find quite some enjoyment stepping on a person's face. But alas, I must finish you off quickly as you have certainly wasted a lot of time," the butler said cheerfully.

"Bassy, please! I beg you to stop! It hurts!" Grell pleaded.

"But I don't want to," the butler grinned, holding up the chainsaw.

Grell screamed and continued to beg for mercy and just as the black butler was about to give the finishing blow, another force interrupted them.

"Grell Sutcliff, I believe you have caused quite enough trouble."

We all turned around to see a man standing on the roof with the full moon shining behind him. He retracted his weapon, which looked like a weed clipper.

"William! Oh William, you came to save me?!" Grell managed to shout out.

The man glared and adjusted his glasses on his nose before sailing downwards, landing directly on Grell's head when the butler moved aside.

The young man turned to the butler and bowed his head. "I am William T. Spears, member of the Dispatchment Management Division of the Death Gods. I am here to retrieve this troublesome reaper."

"So cruel Will!" Grell's voice was muffled in the ground.

"Grell Sutcliff, you have hereby broken several severe rules. Starting with number one…"

Will's glasses flashed and he kicked Grell, adding in his _own_ punishment.

"You killed many people whose names were not on the list. Second, using your scythe without permission and also modifying it without following proper procedures."

The young master stared at all this with disbelief, shaking his head while the butler simply watched with a blank expression.

"And lastly…"

William's eyes connected with mine for a second, catching me off guard as I shyly looked away.

"Attempting to harm innocent civilians which would therefore lead back to square one if you had succeeded."

I almost felt sorry for Grell having gone through all that torture. The red-head reaper groaned in his horrid condition while William approached the butler and bowed in apology.

"Here is my name card." He looked rather irritated at having to show respect. "Honestly I have to bow down to the likes of you…"

The butler grinned. "I suppose you should make sure that grim reaper doesn't get out of hand any longer."

William glared at him and leaned down, grabbing a fistful of Grell's hair.

"We are leaving!" he announced, the red-head reaper writhing in pain on the floor.

The butler suddenly threw Grell's weapon directly towards William, who had his back turned. William simply caught it between his fingers without looking as if it were a paper airplane. He glanced back to see the butler smiling politely once again.

"You forgot something."

"Thank you. In that case, we'll be taking our leave."

With that being said, William and Grell quickly disappeared into the shadows, leaving a dead silence behind.

I took a deep breath and watched the butler approach his master. I smiled slightly and turned away.

"My apologies, Young Master, I allowed the other one to escape…"

"It doesn't matter, it's no longer important..."

I arrived at the entrance way to the building, their voices becoming faint.

"Hey, you over there! Wait a moment!"

I froze in my tracks when I was about to leave, turning my head and seeing that the boy was addressing me.

"Are you alright?" he simply asked, standing up.

I turned around, staying silent but nodding.

He narrowed his eyes and inspected my outer appearance, not believing me since there was blood all over my clothes. He sighed. "Sebastian, we're taking her with us."

The butler looked down at him in surprise. "Young Master, are you positive?"

The boy gave a serious glance. "Yes. After all, I believe she's seen too much. It can't be safe to let her on the loose. And besides, she's badly injured," he said the last few words quietly for only his butler to hear.

The butler placed a hand over his chest. "Alright then my lord."

Before I knew it, the butler appeared right in front of me with that smile on his face.

"Are you still in pain miss?"

I shook my head vigorously, trying to convince them that I was perfectly fine. In fact, most of my wound was beginning to close already.

"I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me…"

My eyes widened in shock when the butler scooped me up in his arms. That action took me completely off guard and I clung onto his shirt tightly. I wasn't used to being carried by someone, especially if the person was tall.

"My lord, what shall we do with Madam's Red's body?"

The young master was already placing a large cloth over her body, concealing it.

"We don't have time right now. I'll have the Undertaker take care of it immediately. We need to get out of here as soon as possible before any members of the Yard arrive and get the wrong idea."

The butler nodded and the young master walked ahead, leading us out of the area.

I stayed still in the butler's arms, calming myself down as I took one last glance at Madam Red's body. I then noticed my hand firmly clenched onto the butler's shirt and let go, bringing my hand back to my chest.

I glanced at the boy walking ahead of us, admiring how confident and brave he seemed to be. Obviously despite his current apparel, he didn't seem like any ordinary child.

Same with his butler…

I inhaled deeply once again, faintly smelling the boy's blood flowing through his veins. Something about it seemed familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Since I was close to him, the scent of the butler's blood filled my nose and I once again kept control from doing anything rash.

It smelled…somehow unique.

And…

Delicious.

I avoided looking up at the butler and instead, closed my eyes. I rested my head against his chest unconsciously and concentrated only on breathing evenly, keeping it together until we would stop.

Unknown to me, the butler had felt me leaning against him and his lips curled into that famous devious smile.


	5. Awakened Voice

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Distant chirps of birds and trees rustling filled my ears. It was very quiet but peaceful and outside the window. I could see a giant amount of spacious land, isolated from the town in the distance. This place was certainly rich but the question was…

Where was I?

I hadn't slept at all. It was more like resting and I suppose I only pretended I did. I gazed out the recently cleaned window, my eyes glued to how beautiful this place was. My hand wandered to my wound, feeling bandages covering it.

I had felt someone tending to my injury last night and I didn't bother seeing who it was. I wondered if they knew I was just faking my sleep.

I looked down to see the white night gown I was wearing. It was completely spotless and smelled fresh; obviously whoever cleaned it took extra care in making sure it was perfect.

It was all very nice. I don't even remember the last time I've been in a decent place. But this…this..._mansion _I was in wasn't decent. It was incredible.

It made me feel awkward and strange. My roots were on the streets, not under a roof. Did I deserve to be here?

No. I didn't.

My mind contemplated escape, like it always did.

I wandered away from the window and sat on the side of the bed. My eyes attached to the note that was left behind and I took it in my hand, reading it over once more. The handwriting was neatly written in cursive and printed on fancy stationary.

_If you awake before we return, please do not leave the mansion. We will come back by dusk as we are attending the funeral for Madam Red. Once again, I implore that you do not leave. With this note, I have left a simple gift for you. It should certainly suit you better than your old clothes._

Although this person hadn't addressed their name on the note, I had an idea who it may be. The face of that young boy had appeared in my mind when I read it and there was no doubt in my mind that he had written it.

The gift he had left behind was a dress that was decent enough for me. It was a humble grayish blue green color and the length of it was long, all the way to cover one's feet. There were black shoulder straps and white lacings around the chest area with stitches that contained thin red ribbons.

When I held it up against me, I just didn't feel like I deserved it. I was definitely thankful, but I didn't understand why that young boy would give me something like this. We didn't even know each other.

I got up off the bed and set the note down, heading for the door. 'Don't leave the mansion,' he said. I didn't think it would hurt if I left the room.

With that in mind, I poked my head outside the door and scanned the area. The halls were completely empty and no one was in sight. It was a like a ghost town in here, or maybe even a haunted hotel.

My bare feet touched the floor and I quietly paced down towards the right, not necessarily caring if I got lost. Time for an adventure in this mysterious manor…

I began to think that I wouldn't meet anyone in this place when I reached the ending of the hallway and stopped at the staircase. But then, a giant boom sounded, shaking the mansion and causing the sparkling chandelier to tremble. Someone shouted and a burst of excitement lit inside me. _Of course_ the boy and his butler weren't the only ones who resided here.

I followed the person's voice and ended up near the kitchen, which was now suffering large amounts of black smoke flowing out the door way.

The same person who had shouted earlier was now exhibiting smoker's cough. The person stumbled outside, flapping the air violently with his arm. I quickly hid behind the wall before he could see me. The person was a rugged-looking man covered in soot and his dirty blonde hair had puffed up into an afro. An unlit cigarette hung from his lips and he coughed again, wheezing.

"Phew! That's the last time I try to use a flamethrower! Or maybe…"

He leaned over and held up what looked like a wrecked war weapon.

"Maybe I just used it wrong…goddammit!" He huffed and marched back inside.

Another voice entered the scene and it was a woman screaming her way down towards the kitchen.

"Oh Bard! Look what you've don-AAHHHH!"

The woman, who happened to be a maid, slipped on her untied shoelace and fell forward.

I winced when she collided to the ground with a heavy thud. The pile of plates she had been holding followed her to their doom and shattered, emitting another loud crash.

"Look what _I've _done?! What about you?! Hasn't Sebastian warned you not to run down the halls like that?! Sheesh!"

"Well hasn't Mister Sebastian told you not to use your weapons when preparing meals?! Now all the dinner plans are wasted, they are!" the woman cried, fearing for what punishment may lay ahead for them.

The cook let out a sigh of exasperation and scratched his head.

"Damn…well we better clean up this mess at least."

He went back into the kitchen and the maid bent down and began gathering the plates.

I watched them with saddened eyes, feeling bad that they were struggling despite their efforts. I pushed myself off the wall and decided to help by collecting some plate shards that had flown quite a distance.

The cook exited the kitchen with a broom and when he saw me crawling on the ground picking up the broken plates, he let out a yelp of surprise.

"Aaaah! W-who is she?!"

The maid lifted her head curiously, fixing her circular glasses. "What's the matter Bard? Did you see a ghost?" Her back was currently facing me.

"I...I…m-may have!" He pointed a trembling finger at me. "T-Turn around Mey-Rin!"

She looked at him puzzled and then did as he told her.

"Ahh!"

She screamed and dropped the plates she had just collected, shattering them further. I simply looked up at them and gave a shy smile before continuing on with picking up more broken pieces.

The cook set down his broom, rubbing his neck. "Eer…maybe I was overreacting…"

The maid came up to me and crouched down, pausing before gently touching my head.

"She's not a ghost Bard! You silly head!" she giggled at him.

"A ghost? I never said she was a ghost!"

I raised my head to the maid, who furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Umm…who are you? I don't remember Young Master bringing in any guests! Right Bard?" She turned her head to the cook.

"That's because she's an intruder!" he accused, still wary of me and pointing his finger.

"A-an intruder?!" she shrieked but stopped when I held my hand out to her.

"Huh?" She stared at my hand for a moment, hesitating on whether or not to take it. She then nervously clasped her hands together before reaching out, slowly letting her fingers clench around mine.

I smiled again and shook her hand. She finally got my drift and grinned, shaking back. "Aww…Bard she's friendly, she is! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

I finished collecting the majority of the shards in my arms and stood up, handing them to the cook. He gawked at me before realizing I was holding the broken plates and then he snapped out of it.

"Oh, oh right! Hang on a sec! I'll go get the rubbish bin!"

He raced back inside the kitchen and the maid turned to me, holding out her arms.

"It's okay. I'll take it from here, I will. It was _my_ fault after all!" she laughed bashfully and I handed the pieces to her.

The cook came out and held out the bin, letting the maid toss the mess away. She turned back to me.

"If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here?"

I debated on how I'd answer her. I stared down at the ground when suddenly someone crashed into me, knocking me back a few feet. The cook rushed over and caught me before I fell, glaring at the new arrival.

"OI! FINNY! What the hell is going on with you?!"

"I-I-I just saw a s-snake outside near the bushes! I-I thought it could be my friend but it nearly bit my hand!" The blonde boy, who looked like a gardener, cried, rubbing his eyes.

"A snake? Near the manor? That's not possible, it isn't!" the maid exclaimed.

"Finny? Mey-Rin? Bard? Is everything alright?" An older man in a butler suit entered the scene.

The three of them turned to him. "Well…I wouldn't exactly point to okay…" the cook answered, grinning nervously.

The gardener noticed me next to the cook and gasped. "Oh! I didn't realize she was here! What is she-"

"I was just asking her that question until _you_ barged in, you did!" Mey-Rin stated.

"Really? Oh I'm sorry! It's just that snake gave me the creeps!"

"Everyone, please calm down." The old butler raised his hands, trying to get their attention.

The three calmed down and turned to him. The butler looked at me and gave me a warm smile.

"Please be respectful to this young woman. The Young Master and Sebastian brought her in last night. She's recovering from some bad injuries. Are you sure you're okay to be up right now?" he questioned me, showing concern.

I nodded my head and bowed to him respectfully.

"Well then, I shall introduce myself. My name is Tanaka. I am the current house steward of this mansion, which has belonged to the Phantomhive family for many generations."

My jaw dropped at what he said. Phantomhive! I've heard that name mostly everywhere I went! No wonder this place was so huge…

"This young lady is Mey-Rin. She is the maid of this household." He presented me to the woman, who grinned at me and fixed her spectacles.

Tanaka's hand motioned to the person behind me. "That gentleman over there is Bard, the cook."

"Yo!" the man greeted happily, half-saluting.

"And finally, this is the gardener of the mansion, Finny," Tanaka finished proudly, patting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hello there, it's very nice to meet you!" Finny held up his fingers into the peace sign. I smiled at all four of them, nodding my head at their introductions.

Tanaka clasped his hands. "Now that that's settled how about we-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a soft puff of smoke suddenly burst between us and the next thing I knew, Tanaka had completely changed into a smaller man, sitting Japanese-style and sipping a cup of green tea.

"Ho, ho, ho," he said like Santa Claus, except a lot quieter.

Mey-Rin sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "Oh no, there goes his energy level!"

"Bard? Did you destroy the kitchen again?" Finny interrupted, peeking into the blackened area.

"_That_ is something we can keep a secret from good 'ol Sebastian! Whaddya say guys? If we hide and clean this mess quickly, he won't even know what really happened!" Bard suggested, pushing Finny away from the kitchen.

"I highly doubt that Sebastian would be fooled…" Mey-Rin said shakily, pressing her index fingers together.

"Why, you're absolutely correct Mey-Rin."

All three of them gasped loudly, a chill running up their spines as they gulped and slowly turned around to see that the black-clad butler had returned. The devious smile set on his face.

"Hey there S-Sebastian! Whoa is it already sundown? I hardly noticed!" Bard grew more nervous and glanced to his side at a non-existent pocket watch.

"Bard, I see you've destroyed the kitchen again. And Mey-Rin, you've dropped more plates. Haven't I told you to be more careful? They're not exactly cheap you know," the butler grinned, but they all knew he was angry underneath.

Mey-Rin shrunk in utter embarrassment, burying her head under her arms.

"I can't believe he knew about the plates when they're already in the trash!" she squeaked, turning her flustered face to Bard.

"H-He's got this whole place memorized on the back of his hand, I tell ya!" Bard hissed, also shrinking under the black butler's intense aura.

The young butler turned to Finny, who jumped in place. "What are you doing here Finnian? Have you finished mowing the lawn?"

"N-no Sebastian…I…I…uh…got a little distracted," Finny stuttered, pulling at his collar.

The butler clapped his hands, causing all three to gather their composure and stand together in a straight line.

"All of you get back to work at once. Now that dinner time is arriving soon, we cannot tolerate any delays. Hurry up now!"

"Yes sir!" All three answered and scurried off as quickly as they had come.

The only ones left were Tanaka in the corner, me, and the butler. He turned to me and smiled.

"I'm sorry for that unsightly commotion, miss." He then brought a hand to his chest. "And I'm also sorry for not introducing myself properly. My name is Sebastian Michaelis."

He lifted his head. "How is your wound?" he asked.

I blinked and avoided his gaze, lowering my head and gripping the front of my shirt. He brought his hand out to me and I looked up.

"Come with me and I'll do the bandages again. You were bleeding quite a bit the night before…"

I nodded and took his hand. His fingers softly curled around mine and he began pulling me forward. While I followed him, inside, horror erupted at the thought that he had seen my body…seen all those scars. It bothered me to no end.

He quickly led me up and back to the room I came from, all the while holding my hand gently as if I would break if he held on tighter. He let me go inside but didn't enter just yet.

"Excuse me for a moment, I'll retrieve the supplies."

As he rushed down the hall, I quickly went inside the bathroom and pried off the bandages, seeing that the deep wound Madam Red had inflicted was now completely healed, leaving only a large scar in its place.

It was as I had thought. And it wasn't good.

If Sebastian noticed that my wound was healed already, he'd immediately suspect there was something off. No one had to know that I was a monster, besides the men who had tried to kill me because of that reason. I had to do something, make myself appear more human…

An idea sprang in my head and I raced back to the bed, seeing that the letter opener I had obtained from the Viscount was left for me on the desk close to it. I snatched it away and went straight back to the bathroom.

I took a deep breath, staring at the tiny blade in my hand before closing my eyes and touching the blade to the start of the wound, applying pressure. Beads of blood immediately began to spill and I calmed myself as I dragged the blade down the scar all the way.

When I finished, pain burned through my chest. But it was something I was used to by now. I glanced at the blade again and licked it clean, shoving the blade in the bathroom drawer and placing the bandages over the wound again. I could see that the blood was already seeping through. Now it was more believable.

A knock sounded on the door and I opened it, letting Sebastian inside. I saw that he had a blindfold on.

"I apologize for the wait. Apparently, Mey-Rin misplaced the bandages. Again."

He set down the supplies and closed the door, working as if he wasn't blindfolded.

"You may have noticed that I'm wearing this cloth over my eyes. For a butler such as me, it's unworthy to see a woman's skin without their permission."

My mouth opened slightly, now realizing that he _hadn't _seen anything when he mended my wound the first time. I exhaled in relief and he seemed to have heard that since a smile appeared on his face.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be removing your clothes now," Sebastian declared and his hands grabbed the night gown, pulling it over my head.

I looked away while he went to work removing the bandages off my wound. He set the bloody bandages aside and then his hands returned to my bare chest. I flinched on impulse, when his hand neared my breast.

"My apologies. This'll only take a moment, I promise," he assured me, inspecting the wound by touch.

I felt heat rise within me even though I knew I'd still feel cold on the outside. Men had touched me before this way, though obviously it was more rough and ruthless. Once again, it had been a long time since someone had touched me with care instead of malice. The last time someone expressed their feelings that way for me was Eva. Along with that someone I still intended to find…

Emotions flooded me and I exhaled shakily. Without thinking, my hand reached up and touched his, my fingers grasping him gently.

He stopped in surprise. "Oh, does it hurt?"

I didn't answer but looked up at him, examining his dark black hair, noting the features of his face and even though I couldn't see his eyes, I finally knew. I finally knew why he seemed familiar. My other hand reached out and touched his smooth cheek.

He stood up straight, lifting his gloved hand to grab mine. He removed it from his face, but firmly grasped my wrist. His thumb rubbed against my pale skin and before me, I saw a slight smirk appear on his lips.

I think he knew too…

"It seems that you are still bleeding so I'll re-bandage it straight away. This will pass quickly." He broke the silence and then grabbed the white wrapping.

He cleansed my wound first before his hands swiftly wrapped up the injury, the moment between us ending in a matter of seconds.

"There we are. All better," Sebastian announced, smiling politely at me.

He then presented me with the dress that had come with the note. "Here you are. The Young Master left this for you. I presume you won't need my help getting dressed."

He made his way to the door, his eyes still covered for my sake. But before he left the bathroom, he turned around, that same smirk appearing on his face.

"That is…unless you would _like_ my assistance once again…"

I felt my body warm up like before and I was glad he couldn't see me.

He chuckled softly. "I'll be waiting outside."

He shut the door quietly and I stood there dumbstruck for a minute before finally putting on the dress. I looked at my reflection, tying the black ribbon around my neck and bringing some hair strands over my exposed shoulders so that the white scars on my flesh wouldn't stand out.

I exited the door and Sebastian turned around, his crimson red eyes now visible to me.

"You look lovely, I'm glad the Young Master gave that to you," he commented with a smile.

I bowed my head in thanks and then watched as he opened the room door.

"I shall now escort you to the Young Master. He had informed me that he wants to speak with you as soon as possible. Please follow me."

In the next few minutes of passing many more hallways, Sebastian brought me to the Young Master's study, letting me enter first. I looked to the large desk near the window and saw the earl reading the newspaper and sipping a hot cup of tea.

"Young Master, I have brought the woman as you have requested," Sebastian said.

The boy set down the paper and looked up at us. "Oh yes, please come over."

Sebastian urged me to go forward and I stepped closer to the Young Master's desk, uneasiness setting in.

"Good evening, my name is Ciel Phantomhive, the head of the Phantomhive noble family," he introduced himself.

I gasped, my admiration for this young boy instantly boosting to greater heights. I immediately bowed in respect, not believing that I was actually in his presence.

"The reason why I have brought you here is because it seemed that you were one of the victims of Jack the Ripper. It would not have been right to abandon you there, especially in the state you were in."

I smiled at how thoughtful he was despite how serious he may seem.

"I know this may be obvious, but you don't have anywhere else to go do you?" he asked, his hands intertwined in front of his face. His right eye was covered with an eye patch and his left eye held a solemn gaze towards me.

I shook my head, my right hand grasping tightly onto my other.

He nodded in understanding and then leaned back. "Well then that leads to my next question. Would you like to stay here in the Phantomhive estate?"

My eyes widened at him, completely and utterly shocked. Did my ears deceive me? Did he actually ask me to stay here, in this wonderful mansion?

Sebastian smiled at my surprise and then glanced at his Young Master with an amused expression, clearly finding Ciel's hidden kindness entertaining.

It took me another moment before I nodded my head, my hand trembling over my chest and still in shock by his offer.

Ciel nodded once again. "Alright then, you will have to work here as one of the Phantomhive servants. Perhaps she can serve as Mey-Rin's assistant, what do you think Sebastian?" He referred to his butler.

Sebastian chuckled. "I don't mean to be rude, but that may be a good idea seeing as our only maid is rather clumsy."

Ciel smirked. "Well I'll think about it. But for now, I just have one final question for you," he turned his gaze back to me.

I nodded, waiting for him to ask.

"What is your name?"

That question echoed in my head. Every question he asked seemed to have a dramatic effect on me.

Eva had asked me this question before but I refused to answer her. It was one of my biggest regrets. I hadn't heard my name being called in ages.

Perhaps now was the time to break it. Now was the time to start over…try to do something better for myself for once.

A new life was ahead. I just had to do one thing…

"It's Janelle," I replied.

My voice was finally brought back to life. It escaped out of my cob-webbed throat. It awakened from a dreary coma.

It was strange to hear my own voice again, but that was all I had to do.

All I had to do was speak.


	6. Past Identities

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I sat on the chair by the window, my head resting on my arms on the window sill. I waited for the world to awaken and watched the sky evolve from night to day. The moon hung to the other side of the horizon, with the sun slowly creeping up to take its place.

The light rays began to shine down on my face and my eyes were fixated on a spider that crawled outside the glass. It approached its dewy web, seeing that a fly had been captured in its deadly trap. The fly didn't appear to be struggling and I watched the arachnid begin to wrap its prey with more threads, preparing for its feast.

I closed my eyes, feeling completely deprived. The difficultly to hide was increasing the more my hunger grew. The other side of me began to doubt that staying here was a good idea. It begged me to leave.

_You can't hide yourself forever. You know that you want to devour everyone in this household…especially…_

I silenced the voice and bit into my own wrist without hesitation. A pathetic way to sustain myself…somehow I would have to find another way. It was useless to drink my own blood but at least it held back my thirst for a while.

Three knocks sounded on the door.

"Uh…J-Janelle?" the person stuttered, as if wondering whether or not the name was pronounced correctly.

Mey-Rin.

I quickly moved off the chair, holding my wrist while the bite wound began to close up. I jumped on the bed and went under the sheets, pulling the blanket over my head.

"It's time to wake up, it is! I-I'm coming in if you don't answer!" she hollered.

When she didn't hear me respond, she gently opened the door and saw me in bed.

"Janelle?" she squeaked again, bending over to see me.

I poked out my head from under the sheets, appearing sleepy before pulling myself up. I pretended to yawn and scratched the back of my head. "Mey-Rin? Good morning…is it time already?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yes, I know, it's quite early. But don't worry, you'll get used to it! Hurry and get dressed because Sebastian is waiting for us, he is!"

I did as I was told and grabbed my clothes off the chair. She went outside and I slipped into my dress in a jiffy before joining her.

"GAH!"

Finny had suddenly fallen right out of his room as we had been making our way down the corridor. His trousers were pulled on halfway and he groaned from the pain of landing on his face.

"Finny!" Mey-Rin shrieked and we both came to his side and helped him up.

"Oww," he muttered, dusting off his shirt. He then looked at both of us and smiled nervously. "Thanks girls! I was afraid we were late that's why I-"

"We _are_ late! We better go!" Mey-Rin warned and began pacing ahead of us.

Finny turned to me and held his hand out. "It's great to have a new member to our team!" he grinned.

I shook his hand. "Thanks for being so welcoming. And…Finny?"

"Yes?" he tilted his head.

"Your pants fell down…" I stated, biting my lip and holding back a laugh.

He looked down and his face immediately burned tomato red. He bent down, pulling up his pants over his striped boxers and laughed bashfully.

"AHEM! Now that that's taken care of…sh-shall we move along?" He went ahead of me, trying to hide his embarrassment.

I followed the two panicked servants and we all eventually met up at the bottom of the grand staircase. Bard was already there, tempted to light his cigarette but seeing as Sebastian gave him a glare, he simply placed the smoke in his mouth.

Sebastian smiled when all three of us finally arrived. "Well, it's so nice that you three are able to join us this fine morning. Please don't make a habit of running late. I don't need to constantly remind you that we have a tight schedule to attend to."

"Yes sir," All three of us replied in unison.

"Alright then, you three know what your daily duties are. Get straight to it!" Sebastian clapped his hands once and Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny swiftly split up again, like déjà vu.

I held my hands behind my back and approached Sebastian, who was facing away from me and glancing at his pocket watch.

"Excuse me, Mister Sebastian, shall I join either of the three in their duties?" I asked.

He turned his head to me, blinking before replying. "Ah yes…Janelle…" He turned fully around, that smirk setting on his face. "Oh no, you won't be joining them. I'm sure they can handle it on their own…for the most part anyway."

He then surveyed the mansion, a finger tapping his chin while thinking of what to assign me. His blood red eyes lit up.

"Alright, I'll have you clean and tidy up the rooms on this side of the mansion," His hand motioned to his right. "…while I take care of the other half in the meantime."

He clasped his hands together and grinned. "And since it's your first day, you may have the rest of the time to explore the mansion once you're done. If you have any questions or concerns, please come to me first."

"I'll get to it then. Thank you Sebastian," I replied, bowing my head.

He nodded. "There's no need for thanks since we're all in this together. Alright then," He turned around. "I'll be seeing you later."

With that, he was gone in a flash.

I took a deep breath before I was off as well, fetching some cleaning supplies from Mey-Rin before starting.

The first room I came to happened to be the vast library of the Phantomhive estate. I set the bucket down on the ground, holding the feather duster over my shoulder. I stared in awe at how many books there were. In my life so far, I had never seen so many books in one place. The memory of when I was last in a library was so faint and far away…

My fingers trailed across the old spines of the numerous literatures lined up on the broad book cases. I glanced at my hand to see that it had easily collected some dust. I randomly selected a book from the middle of the row and flipped it open, finding it to be about science.

The information I read immediately absorbed in my brain. My eyes darted fast over the words. How I missed learning about new things every day when I was younger.

_She smiled at me, her hand so comforting on my shoulder. She leaned down to kiss my cheek while I read out loud what I had written. I was nervous, rehearsing for my first time presenting a report._

_But in the end, she clapped for me and my cheeks had felt warm. _

_"…so proud of you…"_

I placed a hand on my cheek, feeling that it was cold as stone. I stared blankly down at the words, not really reading anything then.

I remember that I had made my mother so proud. She was always there to support me no matter what. She could've been the one standing by my side throughout it all. Yet in the end…_I _was the one who let her down.

"I'm sorry…"

Those words escaped my mouth. I sighed, shutting the book and placing it back in the shelf.

I didn't keep track of how much time had passed and my work went by in a blur. I cleaned all the rooms on my half of the mansion without putting too much thought into it, but still completed the job with decent precision. Some of the rooms obviously hadn't been used in a long time; cobwebs were beginning to collect in the corners.

Brushing stray hair strands out of my face, I exited the last room. I gazed down the long hallway, amazed that I had actually accomplished something useful in a long while. I bent over to pick up the cleaning supplies and went to put them away.

When I arrived at the staircase, I noticed Mey-Rin polishing the railings. She looked up at me and waved.

"Oh, hello there Janelle!" She saw me carrying the supplies and gasped. "You're finished already?!"

I held up the bucket and smiled. "Uh…yes! Is there something…"

"No, no! It's just...you finished rather quickly, you did!" she blurted out.

I raised an eyebrow. "I did? Oh…I didn't notice…"

I then spotted the white cloth that she had in her hand. For some reason, it was pitch black.

I walked down the steps. "Mey-Rin?"

"Yes Janelle?" she asked, furiously wiping the wooden railing.

My eyes widened when I saw that the shiny wood was now covered in the same black substance. I cleared my throat.

"I...I sure hope that's just really dirty because it's rather…black."

"Eh? What are you talking about?" She lifted her head at me questionably.

I pointed to the railing and she got a closer look, fixing her glasses. In the next second, she shrieked in utter shock.

"AHHH! OH NO!" she cried, holding her face in despair.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"I accidentally took the shoe polisher instead! What do I do?! Mister Sebastian's going to be angry at me for sure, he will!" she continued to panic, shaking her head.

I took her shoulders and turned her to me. "Calm down Mey-Rin, it's alright! Let's just go and get the _right_ polisher and we'll fix it up in no time!" I tried to cheer her up.

She took a few deep breaths, placing a hand on her chest. "O-okay…f-follow me!"

She collected the shoe polisher and cloth while I took my cleaning supplies and we quickly set off to get the correct polisher before the butler would see her blunder. We ran back to the staircase and went right to work scrubbing the wood as best we could.

"Oh thank god! It's starting to clear up!" Mey-Rin exclaimed in relief, folding the cloth in her hand and applying more polish.

I smiled and noticed her wiping sweat off her forehead. I scrubbed the wood, all the while thinking to myself.

"Hey…Mey-Rin…" I started.

"What is it?"

"Is it okay if I help you finish up the stairs? I mean, I'm sure that you can handle this perfectly on your own. But since I don't really-"

"Of course you can Janelle! I'd love your help! Usually, it'd take me an hour to complete this job! Thanks!" she cut in enthusiastically, soaking the blackened cloth in the bucket and taking a fresh one.

While we worked, I began to ask her how long she had worked for the Phantomhives. She explained that she had only been here for a year, and that she was taken in by Sebastian.

"I used to be a sniper you see," she blushed, embarrassed with talking about herself.

I stared at her in amazement. "Really? Wow! That must've been exciting…but dangerous of course," I smiled.

"Yeah...the funny thing is, I can see things very well if they're far…" she trailed off, looking up at the ceiling.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Huh? But then…why do you wear glasses?"

She blushed again, both her hands wandering up to her specs. "B-Because it's a gift from the Young Master and I treasure it deeply since I've never received anything so nice before…"

I smiled in understanding, sharing the exact same feelings with her.

We were sitting on the bottom staircase for a rest after the hard work of polishing. She turned to her side, gazing at me while I leaned back and scanned the vast manor.

"So…" she began awkwardly.

"Hmm?" I looked back at her.

"Di-did you used to fight…like Bard did? Oops!" She covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask something so personal! You don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

She began an inner war with herself, saying that she should keep her mouth shut but I stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing! Never mind!" she glanced at me, though it wasn't my face she was looking at. I followed her gaze and saw that she had noticed my arms, which were bare since I had rolled my sleeves up.

I then understood what she meant by her question and patted her back. "No it's fine, Mey-Rin. I asked you something personal, so in return, I'll answer you."

She hesitantly looked back at me, her hands still covering her mouth.

I stared down at my arms, seeing the everlasting scars of my past.

"I was never a fighter in the past. In fact, I was just a normal girl."

She nodded her head slowly, now giving me her full attention.

"To be honest…" I touched one of the scars. "I did this to myself."

She gasped quietly. "But why?" she whispered.

I sighed and gave a melancholic smile. "I wanted to disappear."

She didn't reply. She just looked at me in shock, though she was trying hard to hide it.

I rested my chin on my hand. "Sometimes…I still want to…"

Mey-Rin suddenly grabbed my arm. "No! Don't! I won't let you!"

I looked at her, eyes widened slightly. Her face was stern and her grip on me was tight but not painful. I then chuckled softly and rested my hand on hers.

"It's okay Mey-Rin. It's all in the past now. Besides, I'm sure that feeling is gone."

I was lying just to be cheerful for her. But by the way she looked at me when I stood up, she didn't buy it.

When I turned back around to her, she had suddenly lunged off the stairs and threw her arms around my waist in a tight embrace.

"Don't ever do that to yourself ever again Janelle! You've got a whole life ahead of you, you do!" she cried, hugging me like a child.

I stared down at her in surprise. Is this what a hug felt like? It was so hard to remember…

She pulled back but took my shoulders instead. "I'm serious Janelle. Don't do it. Think about the people who care about you!"

At first I was about to think to myself, 'What people?' But then she stunned me.

"I care about you," she told me with all honesty.

My mouth opened, no words coming out and she pulled me back into a hug. In the next second, I mentally slapped myself and gently wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you Mey-Rin…I'm sure we'll be very good friends in no time."

She let go of me and grinned. "Of course we will! And I'm keeping my eye on you. I'm not as blind as you think!" she warned, glaring jokingly at me.

The sound of a grandfather clock echoed, signaling that it was hitting noontime.

Mey-Rin gasped. "Oh no! I have to get to my next task!"

I quickly helped her gather her supplies before she ran up the stairs. She then looked back at me once more.

"Thanks for your help Janelle! I would hug you again but…err…" She motioned to her arms occupied with all her stuff.

I waved it away and smiled. "It's alright Mey-Rin, we have all the time afterwards to socialize," I suggested and she laughed.

"Okay, see you later!" she called while running the rest of the way up the stairs.

Once she was out of my sight, I began wandering the mansion. I examined all the portraits lining the walls when a loud shout interrupted the silence. The all too familiar boom of a man's voice.

Bard.

I set off towards the kitchen, peeking in to see the cook lighting something.

"Aw…this oughta do the trick!" he grinned and held up…a stick of dynamite!

I gasped and rushed in. "Bard? What do you think you're doing?!"

"Eh?! Janelle?! What are you-AHH!" He yelped when I ran into him, both of us colliding to the ground.

I winced from the collision we had and looked up, seeing that the dynamite was still in his grasp. "Bard! The dynamite! Put it out right now!"

"What?! Why?!" he barked, looking at me as if I was absurd.

"Do you want to blow up the whole mansion?!" I retorted.

His blue eyes widened in realization and he immediately did as I asked. He licked his fingers and then put out the spark before it reached the end. He winced at the slight burn he gained.

"Yikes! Well I guess I didn't think of that…" he admitted sheepishly.

I rolled my eyes and then I noticed that his cheeks were red.

"What's the matter Bard?"

"Umm…well…you're kinda…I can't move if you're…"

I glanced down and noticed that I had been lying on top of Bard the whole time. I then quickly got off of him, brushing the front of my dress. "I'm sorry! I just panicked…here let me help you…"

He took my hand and stood up, all the while trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. He flexed his arm before rolling up his sleeves.

"Well now…guess I'll have to do it the_ long_ way. What a drag…" he muttered.

I snickered. "So that was your brilliant idea of 'speeding things up'?"

"Hey! Don't hate missy! For your information, it's successful in doing something!"

"Doing what exactly, besides killing people?" I inquired in amusement.

"I…well…"

He stopped for a moment in thought. He sighed and went back to work. "It burns the meat to a crisp…" he mumbled sadly.

I stood beside him as he crossed his arms, staring at the ham in front of him. I smiled and nudged him in the side. "Hey, think I can help out there mate?"

Bard glanced at me, his mouth dropping slightly. "_You_ wanna help out?"

"Why not?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"UH and you think I'm gonna say no?" he slapped me on the back with brute force, laughing.

"Perfect! Tell me what to do then kitchen man!" I grinned, rubbing my back when he wasn't looking.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "You can handle the vegetables missy. All ya gotta do is peel 'em and chop 'em up. I'm too lazy to deal with that right now 'cause I gotta think about what I'm gonna do with the ham!" he said, still thinking.

"Why don't you marinate it or something?" I suggested, though I wasn't all that great at cooking either.

Bard snapped his finger and pointed at me. "Good one, lass! I'll get right on it!"

I picked up a carrot and began peeling the orange skin, watching him as he excitedly gathered all the ingredients needed.

"So Bard…Mey-Rin mentioned to me that you used to…fight?" I asked curiously and he nodded proudly.

"That's right! I used to be a mighty soldier who kicked everyone's butt on the battlefield! That is until…" He grew solemn, pausing in the middle of his work. "I was the only who survived…"

I waited in silence as he thought back to his old days. A grin then appeared on his face.

"Anyway, I still got all my weapons from my good 'ol glory days! Wanna see some of 'em?" he asked cheerfully.

I nodded and he dashed to his secret compartment. From there, he pulled out a large rifle, grenades, more dynamites, and a bazooka gun.

He placed his hands on his hips proudly while I gawked at the weaponry, peeling a potato in the process.

"I can't take all of them out or Sebastian would kill me but uh, yeah, ya like?" he asked, winking.

"Yeah...I do! Now I can really see how you tore up the battlefield…you're an expert!" I commented.

He let out a heavy sigh, making me look at him. He moved the weapons off the table between us and returned back to the ham. "Well, I wish that could be said about my cooking."

"Oh come on Bard, don't give up! I bet you'll be the greatest chef in no time!" I tried to lift his spirits.

His eyes sparkled and he pumped a fist in the air. "Yeah! I'll prove it to the Young Master by making the greatest meal!"

He went to work at full speed while I concentrated on peeling the rest of the vegetables. In the process of chopping them up, Bard broke the silence.

"It's so nice to have another lady working here at the Phantomhive estate. And another pretty face at that," he grinned and I rolled my eyes.

"You…really think so?" I stated slowly, staring blankly at the carrots.

"Are you blind? Of course you are! Mey-Rin is too, you should see her without those glasses," Bard complemented but I shook my head.

"Thank you, but…" I stopped, thinking of how much trouble my 'beauty' had caused me. What I had gotten myself into.

He noticed my serious expression and stayed quiet for a moment. "Well…I bet you can get any kind of guy you want…"

I smirked at him. "Oh, are you saying I can have you?"

His face turned red and he shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't mean that! I-I don't like you _that_ way!"

I smiled, shaking my head at his flustered actions. "I get you Bard, don't worry. I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh…" Bard went back to marinating the meat.

"I've been looking for him for a long time now…" I trailed off.

Bard furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean he ran away from you or something?"

I shrugged my shoulders again. "Yes, you could put it that way…"

Bard growled. "Geez, what kind of man is that? And you still love him? I don't get it…"

I had been asking myself that same question all those years too. Yet, I didn't have a clear answer why I still felt the way I did. I was just a fool I suppose…

In the next few moments, I completed the task that Bard had assigned me and handed him the vegetables. "Here you go Bard, is there anything else I can do?"

"Wow, thanks Janelle!" He took the vegetables from me and cleaned his hands. "No, I can take it from here! You've been a great help and I think I can finish cooking faster now!"

I wiped my hands and then made my way to the exit. "Well I'll be off then."

"Yea, thanks again! It was nice talking to you!" He waved a knife in the air.

I chuckled and then continued on my way through the household. Walking down the corridors, I briefly bumped into Tanaka, who was in his deformed state and sipped tea quietly in the corner. Soon enough, I ended up venturing outside.

The sun signaled that it was hitting the afternoon as soon as I stepped outside and shielded the light from my eyes. The outside of the estate was just as breathtaking as it was inside. I sucked in some fresh air and made my way down the stone steps.

In the distance, I spotted a young boy running around and discovered it was Finny. I quickened my pace to approach him and noticed he seemed to be frantic.

"Oh no! I messed up again! What will Sebastian saw now?!" he exclaimed, rapidly running back and forth among what looked like dead flowers.

"Finny? What's wrong?" I asked, wondering what he had done.

He jumped in place at first but then calming down when he realized it was me. "Oh! Janelle, it's just you! Well you see, I thought I was using fertilizer when I actually used weed killer! This is terrible!"

He bent down, hugging his knees. "I never do anything right…" he pouted, burying his face in his arms.

I rested my hands on his back. "Finny, we can take care of this in a snap. How about we get rid of these weeds and just plant new flowers?"

He wiped his nose and sniffed, looking up at me with teary eyes. "You think that'll please Sebastian?"

"We'll make sure of it," I smiled, rubbing his back.

He grinned. "Well I think we have some spare seedlings. I'll go fetch them. Wait here!"

I rested on the soft grass, enjoying the warmth from the sun and the gentle wind blowing past. Shortly, Finny was running back with small packets of seeds in his hands.

"I'm sorry but could you help me with this? I'm scared I might mess up again!" he pleaded.

"I wanted to anyway Finny, no need to ask!" I replied and he cheered happily.

We immediately began digging out the dead flowers, replacing the poisoned soil with a fresh batch and then kneeling down to plant the seeds.

"So then Finny, how did you end up working here?" I started a conversation.

"It's all thanks to Sebastian!" he beamed.

A new image of the butler was beginning to form with everything the three servants were telling me so far. It seemed that Sebastian had helped them out in each of their most dire moments.

"He brought me here after I had escaped a horrid place. I was being used as a test subject…" he explained to me, moving on to plant another set of seeds.

"A…test subject…?"

"Yea…they did something to me that made me have this inhuman strength. See, I'll show you!" Finny leaped up and ran towards a wooden cart filled with logs.

"Watch this Janelle!"

My eyes widened when he managed to carry the whole cart with little effort. He walked around with it over his head before setting it back down and rushing back to me.

"I know…it's weird isn't it?"

"No it's not! Not to me, I think it's cool. It makes you unique and I respect that," I stated.

"R-really? Th-thank you…." he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

We finished planting the rest of the seeds in comfortable silence and then watered them together before relaxing for a bit by sitting on the grass.

Finny picked up a blade of grass and whistled with it. He glanced at me crawling over to pick some flowers and struggled with what he was going to ask.

"Uh…I…I was wondering…I don't mean to be rude but, how old are you Janelle?"

I paused in the middle of picking daisies. I hadn't thought of how old I was at all. That was the least of my worries. I counted on my fingers and Finny tried to hold back a laugh.

"You forgot your age?" he giggled.

I began linking the daisies together, thinking hard in the meantime.

"Yes actually…I keep miscounting! Okay one...two…" I shut my eyes before the answer came to me. "Oh, I'm 22."

Finny nodded. "Really? You don't look like it. I guessed you were 18!"

I pinched his cheek gently. "Aw you're sweet...and cute. I wish you were my little brother."

Finny blushed at my complement, playing with more grass. I then placed a crown of daisies I had made on his head. He felt the petals and glanced up. A beam immediately set on his face.

"Wow! Thank you! I haven't made one of these in ages!" he exclaimed in glee.

I smiled and stood up as did he. He spun around joyfully. "I'm king of the garden! Lover of animals! But most importantly, nature's my home!"

He suddenly skidded to a halt, gasping. "Oh shoot! I forgot to trim the hedges!"

"Would you like my assistance?" I offered but he was already speeding off.

"No, it's fine! Thank you Janelle!" His voice grew distant.

I moved my hair away from my eyes when the wind blew against my back and I returned inside the mansion. I looked to the other half of the mansion, wondering where to explore next. I let my legs lead me to where it wanted to go, passing by more rooms and various places that were oddly quiet.

I opened two double doors and it led me into a spacious room that looked like a place for practicing dance or musical instruments.

As soon as I saw the far right corner of the room, I felt right at home when I set eyes on it.

A piano.

I walked up to it, placing a hand on the glossy black exterior. I looked behind me, seeing if anyone was going to interrupt before gently setting myself on the seat and lifting the cover. My fingers grazed the keys and nostalgia filled my senses. Just as I had touched the books of the library, setting my hands on a piano took me back to the past.

I pressed down on one of the keys, emitting a sound that I so deeply missed.

My fingers began to press other keys and the notes just came back to me. All the melodies I had learned returned to my head and I played out a slow tune…the one my father used to teach me all the time.

_He placed an arm around my shoulder while I played for him what I had learned. His hands covered one of mine and guided me to the right keys. I smiled when he praised me. I felt safe when he had me on his lap._

_"…you learn so fast…"_

I imagined that I was playing for my dad again, closing my eyes. Deep inside, I wished with all my heart that he could somehow hear me, know that I was sorry for what I had done and that I wished I could start all over. I regretted it all.

I hit the last note of the piece, holding it for a while before silence returned. I took my hands away from the keys, about to stand up when a clapping sound hit me.

"Bravo. That was quite enjoyable."

I saw Sebastian was at the door and he walked towards me.

"I didn't realize you were a pianist," Sebastian smiled and I merely shook my head.

"I'm not, really. I just, used to play a lot when I was younger," I replied quietly.

Strange…why was it that I felt a little…intimidated?

"Don't feel as if you need to stop because I'm here, please continue," he urged me, as if he had known what I was thinking.

I nodded my head hesitantly and rested my hands back on the keys, thinking for a moment before beginning another song. This one gave off the feeling of loneliness, something I remembered my dad playing when he was depressed and drank bourbon in the middle of the night. I used to get out of bed and watched him while he cried by himself. Sometimes, I would just sit outside that room all night and fall asleep. In the morning, he'd see me and take me back to bed.

Near the end of it, I realized that Sebastian had taken a seat right next to me on the bench, watching my fingers delicately fly over the piano keys. When I stopped, it wasn't long before his gloved hands joined in and played a tune of his own.

His sounded much more welcoming, as if it were something to be played at a gathering with friends and family. I admired his perfect skill at executing the melody and I immediately felt like I was truly at home again. I looked up at his face, his black hair brushing delicately against his cheeks and his eyes concentrating on the keys. I was so lost in thought and was taken by surprise when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me, a pleasant smile on his face.

I was confused at first but then thought that perhaps he wanted me to join in. I brought my hands to the other side of the piano and improvised with the deeper tones.

A smirk set on his face and he continued on with what I had improvised, playing the lighter tones. I smiled, seeing that a challenge was arising and I took the tune to a more aggressive height. I heard him chuckle and he immediately bounced right in without falter.

We kept playing the piano that way, piling our different tastes on top of each other until finally; it seemed that they were combining into one melody. I smiled brightly, finding it refreshing to have this much fun. I glanced at him and he looked back and I could tell he was enjoying himself as well.

Eventually the song began to slow down, reaching the ending. My right hand began to travel towards the middle and so did his. When we went to hit the last note, our hands happened to land on the exact same key. His hand touched mine.

I fidgeted, but my hand remained frozen in place. I could feel the fabric of his gloves rubbing against my skin and the warmth that came into contact with my cold fingers.

I don't know what came over me, but my hand had a mind of its own as it slowly grasped the side of his. He didn't seem to reject me and his fingers gripped onto my hand firmly in return. He brought it up between us and I found myself looking at his face once again.

He smiled at me. "I believe you were lying earlier. You play magnificently."

His red eyes held my gaze and I broke it, looking away. My hand drifted out of his grasp.

"Thank you…you're really amazing yourself."

I laid my hands on my lap and we sat there beside each other in silence for a while.

"Were you afraid?"

My eyes widened at his sudden question and I looked at him. His expression showed curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"The time we found you at Madam Red's death, you didn't speak. Was it because you were afraid?" he inquired, his alluring smile urging me to answer.

My mouth opened, nothing coming out at first. "Well, no. I wasn't afraid. I just…"

"Just what?"

I paused for a moment, pondering whether I should tell him the truth even if we barely knew each other.

"I haven't spoken a word in…two years. I guess I wasn't used to saying anything," I replied.

Well, at least it wasn't a lie…

Sebastian nodded in understanding. "I see…" He then stood up, my gaze following his movement.

He turned to me and that devilish grin appeared on his lips once again. "Well, I will say, it's nice to hear your voice."

I swallowed and twirled my hair nervously. I could feel myself burn up inside again and it was strange that he was the one who ignited that fire in me. I didn't…like it. But he seemed to take amusement in being able to toy with how I felt.

"E-excuse me M-Mister Sebastian?" The squeaky voice of Mey-Rin entered the room.

Sebastian sighed, knowing full well what was about to come. "What is it now Mey-Rin?"

"I-I…forgot how many cups of detergent the laundry needs!" she admitted, hiding herself behind the door.

Sebastian brought a hand to his forehead and exhaled in exasperation. "Alright, I'll be there to help and perhaps I should post up a reminder for you so it'll be there plainly in front of your face."

Mey-Rin glanced at me and waved quickly before scurrying off to escape his wrath. But he seemed to calm down as soon as she exited and he looked over his shoulder at me.

"I do hope that in time, you will accept the Phantomhive estate as your home."

I smiled at him. "I will."

He then left the room without another word, leaving me alone once again.

I turned back to the keys, a solemn smile remaining on my face. If I could concentrate hard enough and stayed completely still, I could almost hear the laughter of my dad. How happy he'd be every time I played the piano for him.

I felt that somehow, he'd know that he didn't completely lose me as his daughter.

With that, my finger pressed on the piano key once more.

The note, where his and my hand touched, echoed alone.


	7. An Angel's Glare

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

"Holiday! Holiday! We're going on a holiday! Holiday! Holiday! We're going on a HOLIDAY! YEAH!" The three jolly servants shouted in unison, raising their arms in the air.

I cheered and joined in with them while Tanaka rode our carriage right behind Sebastian and Ciel through a foggy and overcast area.

The three of them laughed again when the wheel of the carriage accidentally ran over a few rocks, causing the ride to get rough and toss us around. Bard had thrown his hands in the air just as that had happened, making him lose his balance and fall over to the side. To his surprise and mine, his head had landed safely right in my lap since I was sitting next to him.

Bard blinked up at me, my hands having risen up to my sides due to his collision.

I looked down at him, a little uneasy. "Uh...Bard? Are you alright?"

Bard blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "Ahem...y-yeah! I'm fine!"

He then collected himself and his flustered expression turned into a smirk.

"Actually…" He rubbed his prickly chin and grinned. "I'm rather comfortable. And it sure is a nice view from down here…"

My eyes widened slightly when I realized that he was staring at my breastsand I gave him a mock grin before pushing him off my lap, causing him to fall flat on his face on the ground of the carriage.

"Ow! I was just joking Janelle! Ya didn't have to be so rough!" Bard groaned, rubbing his head and taking his seat back.

I moved closer to him, seductively placing a hand on his chest. "Oh I'm sorry Bard…should I make it up to you?"

He gulped nervously at my abrupt invasion of his personal space. He held back his urge to let his eyes wander and he leaned further away from me.

Finny couldn't help but snicker at Bard's reactions. "Wow Janelle! I didn't realize you could be such a tease!"

I pulled myself away from Bard, letting him catch his breath again and I shrugged innocently.

Mey-Rin squealed. "Oh I'm so excited to finally be able to go out for once!"

"I know, it's nice that the Young Master's kind enough to actually let us go with him to Her Majesty's resort," Bard piped in.

Sebastian overheard us talking and he smiled to himself. "My lord, they're acknowledging your kindness. This is a rare turn of events…"

"I'm only bringing them along so that they _don't_ ruin the mansion in our absence," Ciel retorted, keeping his eye on the surroundings.

"Have you lot ever met the Queen? Do you know what she's like?" I asked curiously.

The three of them shook their heads.

"Well, obviously the Young Master has seen her from time to time but we haven't. She's awfully mysterious isn't she?" Finny thought to himself.

The carriage suddenly ceased movement.

"We've arrived at the village entrance everyone," Sebastian announced, halting the travel briefly.

The three immediately came to the side of the carriage, their faces shining with awe.

"Oh really?! This is it?!" Finny exclaimed excitedly.

However as the servants got a better look, they spotted a tree with chains and spiky collars hanging from the naked branches. Their astonishment immediately transformed into horror.

"W-what kind of place is this?!" Bard asked, looking around and wondering if they were in the wrong place.

"Th-this has got to be a mistake right?" Mey-Rin chuckled nervously.

"No, of course not. What kind of a butler would I be if I brought you all here by mistake?" Sebastian grinned back at us.

"Oh, I did forget to mention that this place is the _planned _area for Her Majesty's resort. Obviously, there hasn't been anything done," Ciel added nonchalantly.

The three of them slumped over in disappointment and Tanaka let out his trademark chortle.

I narrowed my eyes at the wooden old sign on the side of the road. "'Welcome to Houndsworth'? Why does it seem like those collars look like…traps?" I questioned while the carriages began to move along.

"This place is famous for raising hunting dogs. Part of the reason why we're here is because there seems to be illegal acts of animal cruelty happening here despite the ban," Ciel explained.

"V-v-v-vicious dogs?!" Mey-Rin squeaked and clung onto Finny.

I raised my hands in an attempt to calm her down. "It's okay Mey-Rin, I'm sure if we keep our distance, we won't be harmed."

Mey-Rin gulped. "I…I dunno…"

We all remained silent for a while, traveling a few more miles until Finny suddenly spotted an old woman.

"Oh look! A villager!" He turned to Tanaka. "Stop the carriage for a minute!"

The blonde boy promptly hopped out of the carriage and approached the woman cloaked in purple.

"Miss, let me help you!"

Mey-Rin shrieked. "Finny! Be careful! Don't get too-"

"Huh?" Due to Finny's super strength, he had already lifted the baby stroller the woman had with her, cutting off Mey-Rin's warning.

"FINNY! Put it down before you hurt the baby!" Mey-Rin waved her arms in the air frantically.

Finny's eyes widened in realization at what he did and he set the stroller down too harshly.

"Oops! I'm so sorry!" He turned around.

"Oh no! Is the baby alright?!" she cried.

Mey-Rin and Bard both leaned over to get a closer look and they screamed when they saw that there was no baby at all but instead, a giant animal skull.

"Okay now that's just twisted…" I commented.

The old woman suddenly cackled, all our attention cast on her.

"There is no baby. The baby was already eaten by that monster."

"M-Monster?!" Bard shouted.

The woman then pushed past us, our heads following her movement.

"The white dog is the good dog, the black dog bad, the white dog is a good dog, the black dog…It'll eat you down to the bone…" She continued on with her odd chant as she disappeared into the fog.

"Can this place get any creepier?" Bard gulped and the carriage once again moved onward.

Much to their liking, the surroundings became less like a ghost town and more like a village when we went further down the road. Advancing into town, we spotted barking dogs behind a cage along with a young man training his dog.

"Sit!" The man commanded and the dog obeyed.

I moved over next to Mey-Rin to get a better look.

"Lie down!" The dog did as he was told and the man cheered. "Oh you're such a good boy! Come here!"

Mey-Rin sighed, blushing at the affectionate sight of the man embracing his dog. "Aww…that's so adorable! I wish I could be cuddled like that!"

I kept my eyes on the man and when he saw us and gave us a greeting wave, I saw _his _face appear briefly.

_He stole my gaze, tauntingly smiling before he was gone._

Finny noticed I was frozen and shook me gently. "Janelle? Are you alright?"

I snapped out of my daze and gave a small smile. "I'm fine Finny. I was just daydreaming."

"Ooh you wanna be cuddled too?" Bard nudged me teasingly.

I laughed. "Oh yes Bard, would you like to do the honor?" I joked and he immediately turned away to hide his reddened cheeks.

In due time, Sebastian finally ceased the carriage in front of a large manor. At the entrance, a young woman with white hair and a lavender maid uniform stood waiting for our arrival.

"Hello, are you the Phantomhive company?" she asked.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes we are."

She bowed her head. "Welcome to Barrymore Castle, we are pleased to have you here."

When she looked back up, she gave a polite smile. Despite how kind she looked on the outside, I couldn't help but have this strange feeling run through me when I laid eyes on her. Was it the other side of me that detested her presence? I stole a glance at Sebastian and noticed that he didn't seem overly pleased either.

"Whoa…she's gorgeous…" Finny blurted out, his eyes shining at her beauty.

I giggled and ruffled Finny's hair. "Calm yourself sonny, you'll get your chance."

Finny turned pink. "W-what are you talking about? I-I was just complementing…"

Sebastian helped Ciel off the carriage first, followed by Bard and Mey-Rin, who couldn't wait to get out and moving.

"W-wait Bard! Mey-Rin! Wait for me!" Finny shouted after them and he quickly pushed past me, his super strength accidentally sending me stumbling out the carriage.

I gasped and braced to balance myself but found that I was safely caught in someone else's arms. I closed my eyes for a moment by the impact before opening them and looking up to see Sebastian.

He smiled, his arms securely gripping on my waist. "Well now, Finny was rather rude, I'll have to remind him about manners later. Are you alright Janelle?"

I blinked in surprise before standing straight, my hands still grasping his arms for support.

"Yes, thank you Sebastian," I smiled back, finding myself staring into his red eyes.

My nose caught onto his scent and a burst of ecstasy emitted inside me. What was this about him that made me feel odd every time…

The woman stopped before entering the building and turned around to see us still standing there.

"Excuse me, is something wrong?"

I shook out of my gaze and Sebastian let go of me, turning around.

"Absolutely not, there's no need to worry."

The woman nodded in understanding as Sebastian and I made our way towards the entrance. Her gaze locked onto mine briefly when Sebastian passed her by and I saw that her eyes narrowed into a glare before turning away from me. I stared at the back of her head, wondering what that was all about.

Sebastian returned to his master's side while I joined the three servants in carrying the luggage into our respectable rooms of the manor. I watched Mey-Rin and Bard bustling about when suddenly Finny sprang up to me and embraced me tightly around the waist.

"I'm so sorry Janelle! I didn't mean to push you down like that! I hope Sebastian didn't give you a hard time for being clumsy even though it was _my_ fault!" Finny babbled on, rubbing his cheek against my stomach.

I laughed and hugged him back, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "It's alright Finny, no big deal. Now is there anything that needs to be taken care of?"

"Nope! Everything's fine! We've got it!" Mey-Rin called from another room before proceeding on with her work.

"Geez Finny, what did ya put in your suitcase, ROCKS?!" Bard exclaimed, grunting loudly from exerting large amounts of energy.

Finny let me go and rushed towards Bard. "Hey! Be careful with that! Those rocks are important to me!"

Bard stared at him in astonishment as Finny easily carried it away towards his assigned room. Seeing that everyone was currently busy, I moved on down the hallway, using the time to survey this new household.

Even though it had barely been two days since my residing with the Phantomhives, it was nice to travel along with them to other places such as this. It was nice for a change to travel with others without worrying what lied ahead for you every time the carriage moved…

A few moments later, I found myself wandering into the castle's library, which was nowhere in comparison to the Phantomhive library but decent enough. The books were extremely dusty, even opening one up made dust fly right at my face. I waved it away and was careful with turning the delicate pages.

As I was reading, I heard someone coming in and noticed that woman had entered the library. She looked a little distressed as she bowed her head at me in acknowledgement before approaching the bookshelves.

"H-Hello, are you enjoying the books?" she asked me politely.

I smiled. "Oh…I just started, but yes. Do you come in here often?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. My master hasn't had the time for books supposedly…"

"I see…" I looked back down at the book in my hand before my eyes lit up in realization. "Oh I almost forgot. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Janelle," I reached my hand out to her.

"Angela; pleased to meet you." She gently shook my hand and I noticed that there were dark purple bruises on them.

"What happened?" I asked in concern, examining her hand.

She yanked it back from me. "Don't look at it." She suddenly sounded angry and I took my hand away.

"I-I'm sorry…" I stated, confused by her action.

She gasped and her eyes softened, looking down in shame as she grasped her hands. "No, I should apologize for my outburst…it's just…"

I shook my head. "You don't have to tell me…"

"My master…sometimes…he'd…"

I nodded in understanding, completely knowing how she was feeling. "Yes…"

She returned to searching for books and I found my curiosity creeping up on me again.

"What exactly are you looking for?" I asked when she began taking books into her arms.

"Oh, your master requested for extra books for his studies. Apparently his butler had assignments for him."

My eye lit up. "Is that so? Then I'll take it to him! There's no need for you to do it. I'm sure that you have many other things to attend to," I insisted.

She was about to answer but then her weak hands gave out, causing all the books to come crashing down to the ground. "Ahh! Oh no…"

I immediately kneeled down to help her recollect the books. She muttered about how clumsy she could be while our hands moved over the leathery covers.

"So…that butler, his name is Sebastian, am I right?" Angela asked me out of nowhere.

I looked up at her. "…Yes it is…"

She looked me in the eye. "Are you two rather…close?"

I was taken aback by her question. "No…not at all. In fact, I barely know him. I just recently joined in to work for the Young Master."

At first, it seemed that a small smirk crossed her face. But as soon as it had appeared, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

"I see," she said, standing up. I followed her movement.

"The other servants seem to be quite cheerful and pleasant to be around. The butler, I'm sure, is a very kind man. But I will warn you about something."

I looked at her in confusion. "And that is…?"

"I believe you should keep your distance from that butler. There's something strange about him and I don't think it be wise to be near him."

I was shocked at her bold statement, but I didn't believe it. "What? How do you know that there's-"

"I understand that you may not think I'm right but trust me, I know. I tend to understand a person once I see them and I just don't want you to get hurt. Obviously, I know that you have a sort of…attraction towards him," she continued on, not looking at me once.

My jaw dropped and a pang of anger began to rise within me. Who was she to tell _me_ how I was feeling?

"That's bizarre! I'm not attracted to him! You don't know what you're talking about!" I retorted.

Finally, Angela turned her gaze to me but she looked serious.

"Yes I do, Miss Janelle. I know exactly what I'm talking about."

She then placed the stack of books in my arms and began walking past me.

"If you don't listen to me, that's fine. But don't say you weren't warned if you possibly…get hurt."

She approached the exit. "Keep your distance and you'll be fine. After all, his only loyalty is to his master."

What the…hell? Like I was asking for _his_ loyalty?

She turned around to me and gave me that 'genuine' smile. "Thank you once again for offering to help me. I'll be able to please my master now."

Then she was gone, leaving me standing there speechless.

* * *

My mind was obviously still overwhelmed with what Angela had told me as I made my way towards the study. Before I arrived, I noticed the door was slightly opened, leaving a crack of light to appear on the dark hallway.

"You honestly expect me to do all this Sebastian? You truly are evil," I heard Ciel growl.

"Oh but Young Master, you've been slacking on your studies because of all the work you've done for Her Majesty," Sebastian replied deviously.

"But the work I do is most certainly more important than _this_," Ciel spat with disdain.

"No excuses my lord, I assure you that you'll be able to complete this in no time. I'll be back if you need assistance."

I hid behind the wall, seeing Sebastian leaving the room and closing the double doors behind him before heading down the opposite direction. When I was sure that he was gone, I quietly approached the doors of the study and knocked.

"Is that you already Sebastian? What do you want this time?" Ciel questioned.

I took this as an 'okay' to enter and I slowly opened the door, poking my head through and seeing that Ciel was too concentrated in his work to look up.

"Young Master?" I called and he raised his head, his eye widening when he saw me instead.

"Janelle? What is it?" he asked.

"I've brought the books you needed in place of Angela. She was busy with other chores," I replied, walking up to the large desk.

"Oh I see, just place them there. Thank you," he replied, waving me off.

I did as I was told and set them down before gazing at what he was working on. It appeared to be mathematics and I couldn't help but step around and look over his shoulder, seeing the familiar material on the paper. I smiled to myself, remembering all the arithmetic I used to struggle over in my past.

Ciel felt my intense stare and he turned around. "Is there something more you need Janelle? Can't you see I'm rather busy?"

I stood back to give him some space. "Apologies, my lord, but...I couldn't help but look at what you were working on…" I giggled softly. "I remember doing homework like this all the time. But that was long ago…"

Ciel had his chin rested in his hand and he stared at me with interest. "Oh really? Do you remember how to do this type of arithmetic?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps, do you mind if I study them for a while?"

Ciel shook his head. "No, please do. In fact, take that chair over there and sit beside me."

I nodded my head and eagerly grabbed the spare chair, pulling up next to him as he scooted over to give me some room. I then looked over the paper, thinking for a bit and recalling the old times as a student.

I smiled. "Ah yes…I believe I do remember…which is actually a bit surprising."

Ciel's eye lit up. "That's good, because I'm having trouble understanding this. Sebastian left me this heap load of work without even bothering to teach me the concept behind it. The bastard…" he muttered darkly.

I giggled at his hatred and took the math book. "No problem, I'd love to help out."

I read over the chapter that covered the work he was doing and my brain immediately picked up on the concept. I was even more surprised with myself when I was able to explain it adequately for him to understand.

"I see now…that makes it perfectly clear," Ciel stated, scribbling down the work to another problem and getting the right answer.

My mouth opened slightly in awe, wondering how on earth I was able to do all that when I hadn't touched a pencil in years.

"Why do you look shocked?" Ciel questioned me.

I scratched my cheek. "Oh it's just…I still can't believe I remember how to do this. I remember I used to always do my studies with my parents. They were very supportive of me."

"Are your parents still alive? Have you had any contact with them?" Ciel asked, clasping his hands together and staring at me curiously.

My eyes grew solemn at the thought. "I...believe that they're still alive but really, I'm not sure. I haven't seen or spoken to them since the day…I ran away from home."

I turned to him, smiling. "This was, again, a long time ago."

Ciel nodded. "You're lucky Janelle. To have parents who were able to help you like they did. My parents were loving too but..." He paused, his dark blue eye staring off into space. "They died too quickly."

I raised a hand to my lips. "I…I'm sorry to hear that…That's terrible. H-how did they…"

"It was a fire that burned the mansion down with them," Ciel answered, closing his eyes.

I didn't ask him anymore, thinking he may get angry for having to remember his pain. To hear that he had loving parents that died so suddenly made me feel even more stupid for running away from those that loved me. The most important people in my life-and I just threw it away for my own selfish reason.

I saw his fist clench and he sighed.

"Anyway, enough of that, shall we continue?"

I smiled at the notion that he wanted me to stay and I continued guiding him with much enthusiasm.

After an hour or so, Ciel had managed to finish all the work with great efficiency.

He neatly placed the papers together. "Well now, that's finally taken care of." He turned to me. "Thank you for your assistance Janelle. You make a fine tutor."

My eyes widened at his comments. "I do? Really?"

He nodded. "Indeed. In fact, I wouldn't mind at all if you assisted me again the next time around. That is, if you're up to it."

"Of course! I find learning new things interesting after all," I accepted happily.

He then stood up from his chair. "Alright then, I just have a few other things to take care of before retiring for the day. You may leave now."

I bowed before exiting the room, closing the door quietly behind me before wandering down the dark hallway once again.

* * *

I sighed, turning on the bed to lie on my back, placing an arm over my forehead and staring up at the blank ceiling.

Insomnia took over me, just like it always did every night. There was no use in trying to sleep anymore. I rubbed my forehead before moving my feet to the cold ground, slipping the thin night robe around me and then heading for the door.

Nightly sounds from outside filled the silent air as I stepped down the hall without making a noise. My feet padded softly against the floor. At one point, I heard a dog howling in the distance much like a werewolf. It sent uncertain shivers down my spine and I kept my arms secure around me.

I stopped in the middle of one of the hallways, next to one of the windows that lined the walls. The bright moon caught my eye and I stared at the mysterious glow. It seemed so close yet far away...

"A beautiful sight, wouldn't you say?"

I flinched in surprise and turned around to see Sebastian walking up to me with that pleasant expression on his face.

"Good evening Sebastian," I greeted quietly, turning fully to him.

"Why yes it is." He held his chin in thought. "I didn't expect to bump into you on my night patrol. Is there something troubling you? It's rather late, but I would understand if you're having trouble sleeping because of those dogs. Hideous creatures wouldn't you agree?" he grinned.

I smiled. "Well I guess some of them are."

"Hmm, I suppose I'll take that." He then stood beside me and I grabbed my left arm, looking the other way.

Immediately, the words that Angela had said earlier returned and swarmed in my mind. I just couldn't believe it, how could Sebastian be a bad person? He seemed loyal to Ciel and didn't seem like he'd ever betray him.

His close contact with me and my sensitive nose picking up his delectable scent made me feel slightly light-headed.

Then again, Angela may have been right about one thing. Sebastian didn't seem like the average human, not one bit. But that was also questionable, was he human? He was just too perfect.

Speak for myself, he could be asking _me_ that as well.

And those red eyes of his...I don't think I've ever recalled seeing a human with eyes like his. The first time I saw them…

A brief flash of me in hisarms appeared in my mind.

I furrowed my eyebrows, what was I thinking?

Sebastian glanced at me and turned. "Is something the matter? What's on your mind?"

"Uh…"

I felt my face heat up as I twirled my hair nervously. I couldn't tell him I was just thinking about _him _at that moment!

"I…I was just thinking about how frustrating it is that I haven't been able to sleep at all for weeks on end," I sighed. "I have become an insomniac."

Sebastian chuckled and to my surprise, touched his gloved hand to my cheek. "You and I are similar in that way. I hardly ever sleep too, so I use that opportunity to keep the Phantomhive mansion safe," he said that as if it was something to be proud of.

My eyes widened and inside, I was actually enjoying the feel of his hand on my face…

No! Stop! I can't feel that way!

"I'm impressed Sebastian. You devote all your time to protecting the Phantomhive name. You really are quite the butler," I complemented.

He smirked, trailing his hand down to my chin, where his thumb rubbed the skin right below my lip. "Oh no, I'm simply one _hell _of a butler."

His sudden action and the way his red eyes gleamed in the moonlight made me feel more flustered. I wondered if I was still capable of blushing like a human would.

My question was answered when he suddenly leaned a little closer to my face, nearly taking my breath away.

"Your cheeks are turning pink." His smirk widened. "I hope you're not catching a fever."

I almost felt his breath hit my face and I gently took his hand, taking it off my face. "I'm completely fine Sebastian…"

He gave me a seductive glance. "Oh are you sure?"

"Y-Yes…" I answered.

Out of nowhere, a woman suddenly let out an ear-splitting scream, catching our immediate attention.

"That sounded like…" I started.

"Miss Angela," Sebastian finished and he quickly looked to the window to see that a shadow of what looked like a dog flashed on the glass before vanishing.

"Sebastian!" Ciel's voice hollered down the hallway and the butler turned around to see his master walking towards him, along with Angela.

"Ah Young Master, I had just spotted something interesting as you came," Sebastian replied.

"We must hurry and get outside!" Angela suggested and the three of us followed her out the castle.

"Young Master! Angela! What's going on?!"

We turned around to see Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard running towards us as soon as we set foot outside.

"It's the Devil Dog," Angela stated.

"Devil Dog?!" the three questioned.

"Yes. The Devil Dog comes every time someone disobeys their master. It comes to punish that person, known as 'the bad dog'," Angela explained, clenching her blouse. "It's one of the laws of this village."

"Miss Angela!"

A group of villagers appeared behind her and she walked up to them. "What is it?"

"Please inform Lord Barrymore that the Devil Dog has appeared," one of the men holding a torch requested.

She gasped. "Who was punished?"

"We'll lead you to the scene shortly," the man replied.

Not too long later, we had all gathered and joined the crowd of villagers surrounding what looked like a murder. I took a closer look and recognized the victim to be the man who had trained a dog earlier on the journey. Bite-marks covered his entire body. He was indeed brutally beaten and the thick smell of blood filled the air.

My nose twitched at the delectable scent and I clutched my throat as soon as the inner fire began to emit the intense pain.

Ciel approached the dead body, touching his hand. His eye narrowed. "I see…"

"Don't touch him!" a voice called and we turned to see that Barrymore had arrived.

"So, it was James who was the bad dog?" Barrymore stepped forward.

"He broke the rule by keeping six dogs with him when the rule clearly states a person may only have five," a villager answered.

Barrymore nodded in understanding. "Well then, the situation can't be helped."

"Can't be helped? That man could've been saved!" Bard exclaimed.

The villagers turned on him. "All who disobey the rules set by my standards must be punished by the Devil Dog that belongs to the Barrymore family. The laws of this village cannot be broken!" Barrymore stated.

The villagers broke out into the same chant the old woman from before had spoken, making them all seem like they were being controlled.

I watched as James's body was being taken away. The movement made the scent of blood travel faster. When I glanced at the victim's face once more, _the one_ I was looking for appeared again. Just like James, he took on the form of being battered and covered in blood.

Why did I see him every time? I swallowed hard, inhaling deeply and digging my fingernails into my neck. I didn't know if I could hold out any longer…

A hand suddenly rested on my shoulder and my pain stopped briefly as I looked up and saw that it was Sebastian, though he wasn't looking my way. He stood beside me, his hand still resting comfortably on me and I slowly let go of my neck. We watched the villagers begin to descend back towards town. Their chant repeated over and over.

Angela began to follow her master as well. I stared at her and she turned around, catching my gaze immediately. She gave me that same glare once again, as if reminding me of that warning.

I glared back and she simply turned away from me, not looking back once.

Sebastian's hand still rested there. I resisted my urge to touch him back in return.

No…I wouldn't believe Angela. I wouldn't keep my distance just because _she _said so.

However, there was one thing I pondered…if it was wrong to form these feelings, even though I put my faith in someone else.

Because I still saw _him_.

Those feelings weren't gone.


	8. Stained Lips

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The cool breeze brushed through my hair, sending it flying behind me in gentle waves. I closed my eyes, resting my chin in my hand and sitting on a wooden crate. The weather outside was still rather overcast and though I, as another being, should be enjoying this particular cloudiness, I didn't. I missed the sun and sadly, it didn't seem to want to peek out.

I sat among the three pals who were moping around, depressed by the outcome of the trip so far.

"Well this sucks. Nothing good has happened yet on this so called 'holiday'…" Bard sighed heavily, leaning his head on another crate.

"I agree…I feel so bad for that poor man, I do!" Mey-Rin cried.

"Yeah me too, but mostly 'cause you thought he was handsome Mey-Rin?" Bard grinned teasingly.

"NO! I-I mean yes! Well, let's just say him being handsome was a bonus, it was!" Mey-Rin protested.

"The laws of this village don't seem very fair, who cares if you had _one _more dog in your family!" Finny threw his arms in the air in exasperation.

I turned around and joined in on their discussion. "I know right? It's like 'Oh no! _Six_ dogs! Six is a bad number! You'll be punished for not having the awesome number of _five_ dogs!'"

Finny snickered at my lame comment. "Yeah I don't care! I love animals! I would have 12 dogs if I wanted to!"

"Or 13!" Mey-Rin piped in.

Bard jokingly pointed at her. "Oh no! Not 13! That's a bad _odd _number!"

"But wait a second! Five is an _odd_ number too!" I pretended to sound panicked.

"Curses! Then we'll all be damned by the Devil Dog!" Bard announced, heroically setting one foot on the crate while all three of us continued to cheer each other up with sappy jokes.

"What on earth are you all going on about?" Sebastian suddenly appeared beside us, causing Bard to fall over from surprise. A loud crash emitted from his collision, making all of us except the butler burst out laughing.

Sebastian shook his head at our nonsense, placing a hand on his hip.

"Well it seems that all four of you are having a grand time already."

Bard's hand appeared in the air as he grabbed his crate upright in the previous position before sitting upon it again. He waved his hand. "Nah not really. We're kinda just...foolin' around…"

Finny grinned. "Yeah, fancy joining in on our dog jokes?"

"Oh I know!" I cut in as another one sprang in my head. "If the Devil Dog came from Hell, what other name could you call it?"

Mey-Rin scratched her head. "I don't know…"

"Satan's Pup?" Bard held back a laugh, especially when Sebastian glared at him.

"No! A _hot dog_! Get it? Hell is a very _hot _place? And the Devil Dog, in context, came from there?" I grinned.

"OH! I GET IT!" Bard slapped his knee.

"Oh that was _so_ bad!" Mey-Rin commented, shaking her head.

"The worst isn't it?" I agreed with her, bending over in shame.

Sebastian sighed and turned around. "Well, if all of you are going to waste your whole day making bad jokes, I suppose my plans to take you all to the lake will not exist."

"EH? THE LAKE?" The three shot up from their seats, staring wide-eyed at Sebastian's back.

Sebastian smirked and faced us again. "Of course, it is a resort after all." He held up a picnic basket and a towel. "What do you all say?"

"YEAH!" the three immediately cheered.

* * *

"Whoo hoo hoo hoo!" Bard whooped, splashing his way through the water.

"Yay! KABOOM!" Finny yelled before jumping into the lake and taking the form of a cannon ball.

The blonde boy appeared back to the surface, whipping the water out of his hair. "Wow, the water is so nice and warm!"

"Yea, let's just hope the village dogs didn't come and urinate in this lake to make it that way," Bard joked and dove into the water, making Finny feel uneasy at the probable idea.

Finny turned around to the dressing stall on the shore. "Hey! MEY-RIN! JANELLE! ARE YOU GIRLS READY YET?"

Mey-Rin poked her head through the curtain. "Just a second! We'll be right there!"

"Okay!"

Mey-Rin closed the curtain, turning back to the small mirror displayed against the wall. "Ooh…this is so embarrassing…Janelle, what about you?"

"I…I…" I stuttered, disgusted by my appearance.

Mey-Rin patted my shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"I…I'm not used to wearing these types of…clothes…" I replied finally.

The short sailor skirt and top was cute and all...but there was one BIG thing that discouraged me. My outfit came in a dark turquoise color, the top was sleeveless, and the skirt reached to my mid thighs. Yet the only thing I was concerned about was all the scars decorating my body. I was glad that the top covered the words on my stomach and back, but still…

Instead of wearing a small hat like Mey-Rin did, I decided to put my hair up in a side ponytail, letting a few strands of loose hair fall on the other side of my face.

I sighed in relief, using the matching colored robe to cover myself up. "Phew...good thing I brought this along…"

Mey-Rin brought her hands to her face, squealing. "Aw but Janelle! You look so adorable, you do! What's wrong with showing some skin?"

"What about you? You said you were embarrassed!" I chuckled nervously.

"Ehehe…you got a point there…but you look way better than I do!" she protested.

"No I do not," I replied quietly.

Mey-Rin finally realized why I was so self-conscious. "You don't have to worry Janelle. You don't have to be pressured at all!" she whispered to me in comfort.

I smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Thanks Mey-Rin." I let go of her and a devious grin crossed my face. "Then that means I'll just sit in here while you guys go and-"

"Oh no you don't! Just because I said you didn't have to be pressured with what you wear doesn't mean you're not going out there with me!" Mey-Rin declared, taking my arm and dragging me out the stall.

"No! Mey-Rin! Really, let me just stay in here! Go have fun with the boys, I insist!" I tried to resist but, surprisingly, Mey-Rin was very determined.

Ciel looked up from his tea, seeing me trying to get back inside the stall while she continued pulling me forward. "Why are those two making such a fuss?"

Sebastian smirked at the scene, watching as I had fallen to the ground and Mey-Rin began grabbing my ankle. "Remember that they are young ladies, my lord. Women tend to be rather, concerned with their outlook."

"Well that's just foolish," Ciel stated, sipping more of his tea.

Bard gawked at the two of us when Mey-Rin successfully brought me to the water. I simply stood behind her, leaning my head on her back in surrender.

"You two look amazing! It's about time you girls came to join us!" Finny complemented.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka responded in a tone of agreement.

Mey-Rin blushed, looking down shyly. "Do you guys really think so?"

Bard turned to Finny. "Oi Finny, am I drooling?"

"Uhh...maybe?"

"Yeah, what idiot wouldn't think you two were beautiful? And why on earth are you all covered up Janelle? Gettin' shy?" Bard teased, his hands forming claws and towering over us.

"I won't let you go near her! She just doesn't feel comfortable wearing these types of clothes!" Mey-Rin defended, shielding me.

"Oh? Then how about you take off your glasses, I bet _you'd_ look cuter!" Bard suggested, grinning.

"Ehhh? No way! I can't!" Mey-Rin shrieked, holding onto her spectacles for dear life.

I appeared behind Mey-Rin and approached Bard. "Yeah, I'll take off this robe if Mey-Rin takes off her glasses."

Bard beamed. "Seriously?"

"Well yes, but is that going to happen? I think not!"

"Oh yes it will if we…TACKLE YOU BOTH! FINNY JOIN ME!" Bard laughed and launched himself forward as Mey-Rin and I quickly dodged to opposite directions, immediately swimming away. It wasn't surprising that shortly after; the four of us engaged in a vicious water fight and got soaked in a matter of seconds.

I whipped Bard in the face with my hair, slapping him on the cheek purposely and laughing when he yelped. When the three of them began to disperse and float around, I glanced towards shore to see Ciel speaking with Sebastian.

I frowned. "Why doesn't either the Young Master or Sebastian at least take a break and enjoy themselves once in a while with us?"

Bard emerged beside me and spat out a stream of water, making me move back at his sudden appearance. "Unfortunately, I don't think the Young Master enjoys the water very much and are you kidding me? Sebastian swimming with us? I can't even imagine that! Hell would have to freeze over before he does that!"

I pouted and then Mey-Rin swam up to us. "Well _you _can't imagine it Bard, but _I _can! Janelle, can you imagine Sebastian wearing something other than his butler attire? Oh it just makes me shiver at the thou-"

Her sentence was cut off when she began sinking her blushing face in the water and making bubbles with her mouth.

Finny giggled at Mey-Rin's action. "Oh don't mind her. She's got a crush on Sebastian! That's one of the reasons why she's even clumsier when he's around!"

I couldn't help but feel a little giddy myself at the image Mey-Rin had instilled in my mind. "Yea she's right. Sebastian _is_ really handsome after all…"

Bard choked on the water he had swallowed. "GAH! You fallin' for him too?!"

I scoffed and splashed him in the face. "No! Can't a girl complement a man's looks without being accused of liking him?"

"Oh? Then what do you think of me?" Bard joked, flexing his arms dramatically.

"You're goofy," I replied shortly with a smile and swam away.

"What? That's it?!"

Finny noticed that I was heading to shore. "Janelle? Where are you heading?"

"I…"

I paused. Yes, where was I going? I then realized that I had wanted to try and convince Sebastian to join us. But thinking over that now, it seemed incredibly stupid, especially since the butler didn't seem to have any plans to swim just by looking at him. Yet at the same time, perhaps I was just trying to find an excuse to talk to him…

However before I even got close to shore; I spotted Sebastian turning around and heading down towards town. Obviously, it seemed that the Young Master had a task set out for him. I sighed, too bad…

"Oi! Janelle! You wanna join us for lunch now?" Finny called for me and I began swimming back to them.

Eventually we all sat together in a circle with Angela on the large blanket spread out on the dirt with the picnic basket that Sebastian had prepared in the middle. All of the contents were already displayed.

"Angela? Don't you want to have some?" Finny asked.

"I-Is it alright for me to?" Angela wondered innocently.

"Of course! Go ahead and eat, Sebastian makes the best lunches!" Mey-Rin insisted.

"I see. He really is a fantastic butler isn't he?" Angela commented, taking one of the sandwiches and eying me for a split second.

I glared and looked away; taking a small bite of the food regardless if I couldn't necessarily taste it anymore. The smell of home-cooking brought back the feeling of nostalgia into my senses. It seemed that every day, I was becoming more and more intrigued with Sebastian and his apparent lack of flaws. And to think that it was only within a short time.

"But Angela, it's amazing that you are the only house maid for the Barrymore family. It must be hard for you and yet you're able to pull it off! You've got great skill!" Bard stated with a grin.

Angela looked away shyly. "Oh no, I'm not all that special. In fact, I barely am able to complete all the tasks that my master sets out for me. I'm lucky that I'm still able to work for the Barrymore family."

Finny rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so negative. No matter what, we've got your back if you need it!"

Mey-Rin nodded in enthusiasm and I smirked, seeing that Finny was blushing as Angela sent him a sweet smile.

"They've caught it! The bad dog!"

The shouts of village men interrupted the scene and all of us turned to the town and saw the men running down the street. They were all carrying pitch forks and gardening tools.

"It's James's dog! It must be punished!" the men announced before disappearing from our sight.

Ciel looked over his shoulder in the middle of reading his book, narrowing his eyes at the men.

"Oh great, what's happening now?" Bard wondered.

* * *

All of us managed to catch up to the scene, seeing that a large crowd of villagers had already gathered. Lord Barrymore was in front of them, his arms crossed. James's dog was chained to the brick wall and was growling at the hunting dogs that were ready to attack.

"The bad dog has something in its mouth!"

"Make him spit it out!" the villager shouted.

One of the men approached James's dog and tried to pull at the piece of cloth it had between its teeth.

"Goddammit! Let go you dirty hound! YAH!"

The man began beating the dog with his stick in an attempt to weaken it.

Barrymore sneered. "Hmph, what a stubborn dog. I've had enough. Release the hounds!"

He signaled for the other dogs to be set free and once they were, the mutts did not hold back and viciously bit hard into the bad dog's neck and legs, bringing it down to the ground.

The crowd cheered and encouraged the cruel act while the rest of us stood by and watched. That familiar sweet scent filled the air the more the dogs ravaged on with the punishment. I immediately covered my nose. The pain was getting worse and worse. My body stubbornly begged me to gain what it lusted for.

It was only a matter of time before I lost it all…

Meanwhile, Finny was trembling. His eyes widened in horror.

"No…"

I looked at him when I heard him speak.

"Stop…this…this is wrong…" he muttered to himself.

"Finny…" I said quietly.

"THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR!" Finny suddenly bellowed, making all of us look at him in shock.

Before any one of us could make a move, Finny ran forward and pulled out a large post that was lodged into the ground. He raced towards the group of dogs without hesitation.

"STOP IT!" Finny shouted before knocking the dogs away from the chained one with all his might.

The villagers became outraged. An old woman fainted from witnessing Finny's intervention.

We quickly ran to Finny's side, seeing the villagers were raising their weapons in anger.

"You got in the way of righteous punishment!"

"More bad dogs!"

"They're bad dogs!"

The villagers began to repeat those lines like they did the night before. In the next moment we were ambushed and Ciel was chained against the brick wall while the Phantomhive servants and I were tied together to a wooden post.

Angela approached her master in protest. "My lord, please forgive them! Let them go free!"

"Hmph! Well I suppose you are right. However, I'll release him and his mutts depending on what he has to say," Barrymore said and stepped forward to Ciel. "Tell Her Majesty to withdraw and never consider this village again!"

Ciel smirked. "You'd do all that just to protect your miniature kingdom?"

"Oh no…we're in trouble now…" Bard stated, continually struggling against the thick ropes.

_Stop resisting. Now is your chance to kill. Get them. It wouldn't hurt to kill them all…_

I shook my head; panting heavily and feeling the monster I had been trying so hard to keep dormant begin to arise.

"Oh, is that all you have to say? Any last words before your inevitable punishment?" Barrymore asked.

Ciel looked at all the villagers. "You are all nothing but fools for following this liar known as your leader."

The villages gasped in disbelief at his brave statement.

Barrymore snarled. "THAT'S IT! Put him in his place and show him what happens to anyone that dares to mess with me!"

"YOUNG MASTER!" Mey-Rin, Bard, and Finny shouted in alarm.

_Do it._

A growl erupted from my throat and I couldn't register what I had done in my head after that. In the next split second, I had broken through the ropes like they were nothing but string and then I had dashed in front of Ciel, knocking the hounds away with only my arms.

The villagers screamed in fear and Barrymore was completely taken aback.

Ciel stared at me wide-eyed as did everyone else. "Janelle, what are you…"

I turned to him and he immediately saw that I wasn't myself. He saw that my eyes were glowing dark red and I was licking the blood I had managed to get on my fingers with greed.

"That damn bitch…Execute her before she does any harm!" Barrymore demanded, sweat rolling down his face.

I hissed, my fangs revealing themselves. A murderous intent was rising inside me and it grew stronger, seeing everyone as my prey.

_Kill them all. Devour them!_

I braced myself before lunging head-on towards the dogs, ready to rip them to shreds.

However suddenly, my eyesight was blinded and someone's strong arm pulled me back. The person grasped me by the waist and pulled me against them.

"Calm yourself Janelle. Resist and hold it back," the voice of Sebastian said for only me to hear.

I struggled against his grip but he didn't waver, holding me close. Soon enough, I concentrated on taming the monster to rest.

Sebastian kept me in his arm as he went to ward off the dogs, moving protectively in front of Ciel.

"You're late," he stated sternly.

"Forgive me Young Master," I heard Sebastian reply.

Barrymore growled in frustration. "More interruptions. What are you hounds waiting for? Get rid of these vermin!"

I inhaled sharply, feeling the fire within me begin to calm down. Sebastian still had his hand over my eyes as he glared with great disdain.

"What loud barbaric sounds they make." His voice grew serious. "This is why I hate dogs."

I didn't see what he had done. In the next moment, I heard the dogs quiet down, their growls turning into submissive whines.

"W-What?!" Barrymore shouted in confusion.

"Enough of the act Barrymore. As I said before, all of you have been deceived," Ciel announced. "There is no such thing as the Devil Dog. The only thing that is true is that Barrymore has been lying to you all with his meager attempt at authority."

Barrymore grew more nervous. "Do you have proof?!"

From there, Sebastian let go of me, knowing that I was back to normal and began to explain the proof that he had gathered during the time we had been detained. With all the evidence he laid out, the villagers murmured among themselves with realization of the issue.

Ciel smirked. "You see? That proves it. The one guilty of this phony act is you, Henry Barrymore!"

The villagers stared the man down.

"And what proof shows that _I _was the one who did it?"

Sebastian bent down beside James's dog. The dog allowed him to take the evidence that would solve the case.

"This is a piece of your trousers, Barrymore. The dog was trying to protect James when he was attacked and bit your leg," Sebastian explained, holding the cloth out to him.

Barrymore stepped back and turned around, trying to make a run for it. However, the villagers were already surrounding him.

"You killed James?!"

"There was no Devil Dog?!"

"You filthy liar!"

"Give it up! You can't run away!" Ciel yelled.

The villagers revealed the bite mark that was on Barrymore's leg and the whole mob carried the man away.

"No stop! Let me go!" Barrymore shouted but the villagers were already taking him to his rightful punishment.

Sebastian moved to release Ciel and the rest of the servants. Angela walked up to Finny and the others.

Finny then approached James's dog, already dead on the ground. Tears escaped down his cheeks and he held the dog in his arms, hugging it against him.

"You were so brave…you tried so hard to protect your master till the end…"

I stared down at the ground sadly; saddened by the abuse the dog went through but also ashamed at having lost control. Sebastian stood next to me and glared at the mess that had happened.

"Once again, this is why I despise dogs."

* * *

I sat against my bedroom door, clutching my throat and digging my nails deep, drawing blood as it dripped down my collarbone. The wounds healed faster than usual however, telling me that the other side of me was quickly taking over.

My hand crawled upwards toward the door knob, turning it before I stumbled out. I figured that perhaps walking it off would decrease the urge.

Barrymore had been killed moments ago after having just been placed in jail.

The villagers still claimed that the Devil Dog was actually real, blaming it for the sudden murder.

Obviously, the case was not quite solved yet. There were more puzzling questions to answer.

All at the same time, I was struggling with my own problem of compressing the ravenous monster I had become in front of everyone. I hadn't said a word to any of the three servants since that had happened. I didn't speak to anyone. They must've been afraid of me by now.

It was no use. If this were to keep up, there would really be no use in staying here any longer. I held my head and remembered how that voice was telling me to murder everyone at the scene. I even _wanted _to kill at that moment and had given in so easily.

I continued walking down the dark hallway without a candle, yet my eyes were able to see my way through. I didn't care where I was going, just as long as this pain would leave.

"AHHH! A GHOST!" someone screamed.

I lifted my head, recognizing that voice to be Finny. I ran forward and saw him shivering in place, holding a single candle.

"Finny?" I called.

He turned around to me and ran into my arms. "Janelle! I'm scared! I think Barrymore's soul may be haunting this place now."

I smiled at his fantasies. "I don't think that's the case…"

"It has to be! And the Devil Dog may come and attack again!" he cried.

"AHHH!"

Mey-Rin appeared out of nowhere and latched herself onto me and Finny.

"D-Did you two hear that just now?"

We stayed silent and heard faint howling and rustling. I was trapped in between them, as they continued embracing each other, and felt a wave of relief flow through me. It seemed that they weren't afraid of me after all, but instead by mere ghosts.

"It's alright, you two. Let's just explore around and see what's up," I suggested.

"A-are you sure? I don't want to be the next victim!" Finny cried.

"Let's go!" Mey-Rin pumped her fist in the air with sudden enthusiasm.

I giggled. "Wow, just a minute ago you were scared!"

"Well yes, but at the same time I just love a good scary story!" she grinned mischievously. "I'm shivering in excitement right now, I am!"

The three of us then walked down the hall together, wandering and seeing if we could find anything interesting. Soon enough, we found a room that was still lit up at this late hour.

"W-Who could that be?" Finny wondered. Mey-Rin and I exchanged glances before we crept closer to the slightly opened room.

All of our eyes widened when we saw Angela in bed with some other man that we had never seen before.

"Ahh…that tickles…" she moaned.

Finny gasped, not believing what he was witnessing.

"Sl-slow down more...ahh…there's a good boy…"

The man ran his tongue down her neck.

Mey-Rin's nose suddenly dripped with blood and I immediately turned to her after smelling the metallic scent.

"Oh my god…we just stumbled upon something rather…uh…" she trailed off, dabbing at her nose with a handkerchief.

Angela let out more sounds of pleasure and Finny stepped away.

"Oh goodness what will the Young Master think if Angela is found out?" Mey-Rin muttered to herself.

Finny clenched his teeth and gripped his hands.

"Finny?" I whispered and Mey-Rin looked at him as well.

On impulse, he ran away without answering.

"Ah! Finny!" Mey-Rin called but he didn't come back. She turned to me. "What should we do?"

"Should we go after him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself?" I suggested.

A howl of a dog sounded, sending shivers down Mey-Rin's spine. "I...I don't think we should this late at night. I'm sure Finny can take care of himself and I think he's need some time alone, he does."

I nodded and we began walking back to where we came from.

"Well good night then, Janelle. Don't worry about Finny!" she reassured me.

I smiled and waved before watching her run to her room.

I stood there for a moment. The dead silence enveloped me.

No, the pain wasn't going away.

As soon as I took a few more steps forward, a sharp burning pain shot through my chest and I fell to my knees. My fingers curled tightly around my throat again and I pushed myself against the wall, gasping like a fish out of water.

I could feel the heat intensifying and my eyes turned red. I tried to stifle any cries of pain I may let out and buried my head on my knees.

I couldn't control it. I couldn't take it anymore.

I thought of _him, _wishing that he was here to make the pain go away.

"Please…help me…" I begged silently, gripping my head tightly.

Just as I had said that, a pair of hands rested on my shoulders and I looked up but obviously it wasn't him. The butler, Sebastian, was staring through my fiery red eyes, his face serious.

"Janelle…it's alright. I know exactly what you want."

I shook my head. "No…don't…"

"I can help you, you won't have to resist any longer." His eyes glowed deep pink.

I tried to push him away. "Please…just stay away from me…"

"Janelle," he repeated sternly and helped me stand up before taking my face in between his hands. I trembled in his grasp. "Don't be afraid…"

I stared into his eyes, seeing that he wasn't going to make any move. I hesitantly opened my mouth, allowing the monster to take over me and I lurched up, grabbing onto him.

My fangs sunk into soft flesh, the pleasure of biting rushed through me. The thick red liquid began filling my mouth. Oh how my body lusted for this so badly…

The blood slipped down into my burning throat as I hungrily swallowed more and more. The taste was so delicious. My tongue lavished the liquid engulfing my mouth.

My hands gripped tightly onto his coat, pressing my body against his.

I kept drinking but I still thirsted for more.

The sound of me gulping down his blood was the only thing I could hear.

I needed to stop.

_No keep going. Devour him entirely…_

I wanted to stop but my body was preventing me otherwise.

But soon enough, a soft chuckle broke the noises of my swallowing. My eyes flashed open when I felt his body vibrating with his laughter and I released my fangs from his throat, immediately stumbling backwards.

My hand rose to my bloody mouth. My tongue ran along my lips.

Sebastian gazed at me with a devious smirk on his face, holding the bite wound on the side of his neck. He smiled. "I never thought I'd stumble upon a being such as you. For as long as I have lived, people have feared them and people have spoken about them. And now, it seems that I'm lucky enough to encounter one for real."

His eyes glowed again. "A hungry vampire in my midst…"

I gasped, my eyes changing back to normal. Hearing that word…_vampire. _I had hoped that I would never have to hear that word being said for as long as I could retain my image as a human.

Yet I failed. There was no hiding it from someone like this butler that was standing before me. Another person whom I had attacked…a monster that I was forced to become…

"I…I'm so sorry…" I choked out, blood dribbling down my mouth.

Sebastian stepped closer to me. "Oh dear, what a mess you've made Janelle. It seems that I'll have to..." He took my chin in his gloved hand and tilted it upwards. "...clean it up."

My breathing ceased as his hot tongue flicked out between his soft lips, running along my chin and around my lips. He tasted his own blood as he lapped it up to clean the mess.

I didn't move. I couldn't. I was paralyzed. His tongue began to run over my lips and I shut my eyes. He seemed to linger there. I didn't think about what I did next, but my own tongue escaped my mouth and met with his.

I whimpered, but his hold on me was strong as his tongue fought for dominance against mine. Inside, I was thoroughly enjoying this and I wanted more…I wanted more of him.

His hot breath mixed in with mine and I felt dizzy from this unfamiliar sensation he was giving me until his lips barely touched my mouth. That action caused me to snap out of it and with all my might, I pushed him off of me.

My entire body was immensely warm as Sebastian smirked at me, licking the corner of his mouth. My eyes darted to his neck and saw that the bite wound had vanished, leaving only blood stains.

"Janelle…" he moved to come near me again but I stepped further away.

"No...I can't…" I blurted without thinking.

"There's no need to be ashamed over what you've done. I told you I would help you."

His voice was growing fainter as my head continued to spin.

"S-Sebastian…" I stuttered before letting myself come into his arms, grasping the front of his coat and resting my head on his chest. I didn't want to let go.

He placed his hand on my head, the other holding my waist. "Rest now…you'll be able to sleep…"

I…I felt safe.

He held me close, his eyes shining in the dark and a pleased smirk staying on his face.


	9. Hell Hound's Howl

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

_A cold hand touched my hot skin, crawling its way down my stomach and sending pleasant chills throughout my body._

W-Wait…Stop…we're moving too fast…

_Another hand joined the other, both grasping either side of my waist and then caressing sensually down to my hips. Something wet lapped at my chest and I realized his tongue was savoring the taste of my exposed skin._

This isn't right, why am I going through with this?

_My legs were pushed down and spread open and he nestled himself in between. His hand brushed along my body lower and lower…_

_I couldn't move. I couldn't fight back._

_Or maybe, at that time, I was blinded by immature fantasies. I wasn't thinking straight._

It shouldn't have happened.

_"You're mine…" he whispered in my ear, before I saw nothing…_

…

…

I woke up with a start, perspiration covering my body. I jolted upwards and patted my face and chest-still the same dead cold body temperature.

Nothing happened.

Except that I was in my room.

I closed my eyes, holding my forehead and tried to remember if I had managed to get to my room by myself. I couldn't.

Images of Sebastian suddenly flooded my mind at that moment. His mischievous smile, his red eyes, his hand lifting my chin, and then his lips…

My eyes widened and my tongue ran along my fangs.

Oh my god…what have I done?

I whipped the blanket off me and stood up, stumbling over a bit from standing so forcefully. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around to see that the bed was made a lot neater than I normally would have done.

I shook that small detail out of my mind and raced to get dressed and brush my hair before leaving the room.

As I walked down the hallway, another thought occurred to me. I had been able to get some sleep last night. It was so…unlike me.

_"A hungry vampire in my midst…"_

Those words that Sebastian had uttered to me the night before brought more anxiety to my mind. Now that he knew who I really was, what I had become, would everything change? Would I be forced to wander the streets once again?

I prepped my mind for that outcome. It would be alright, if that were to happen. It would just be as if none of this had happened. As if my short experience with the Phantomhives was nothing but a wishful dream. The next time I'd wake, I'd be in that rugged carriage with the other devastated women towards an aimless destination.

My feet moved automatically, one step before the next. Putting my anxiety aside, physically, my body was calm. The inner monster didn't try to fight, try to inflict pain on me, or demand me to get what it yearned for.

He had helped me. He pulled me out of that suffering when I least expected it. _The man_ I once knew had not heard me, letting me down once more. But this butler reached for my call.

How could this be…it was all backwards. It was confusing to me. What was even more confusing was the way he had held me close in his arms. It was something I had needed as well, to be safe, and he gave it to me.

I pondered these thoughts all the way down the stairs, towards where I could smell his scent…something that strangely drove me mad with want.

I was instinctively led to the kitchen of the Barrymore Castle, where the butler was currently preparing what smelled like a dessert, probably for the Young Master.

I clenched the fabric against my chest, wondering how I should start with the questions that stirred in my head. I took a step forward.

"Ah...you're awake."

I froze in place when he had already known that I was in the room from the start. He bent over to place the dessert in the oven before turning around, tugging on his gloves. He smiled at me.

"Good morning. Why don't you have a seat at the table?"

He motioned for me to sit and I hesitated, glancing at the wooden chair before walking over and pulling it from the table, turning it so that I could face him.

I opened my mouth to say something. Nothing came out at first. But then I urged myself to speak.

"Sebastian…I…"

"Here you are." Sebastian turned around and presented me with a cup. "A little energy boost to get you through the day."

I blinked my eyes, puzzled and looked at him to see that he was still smiling.

"Th-thank you..." I replied, a little unsure and he nodded, returning back to work.

I sniffed the liquid inside the cup and realized that it was blood. However it smelled a little different. I took a small sip and my eyes widened at the taste. I choked, my body reacting with this certain type of blood.

Sebastian chuckled. "Is everything alright over there?"

I coughed, wiping spilled blood from my mouth with my hand before licking it clean. "Uh…yes. If I may ask, what type of blood is this?"

Sebastian turned his head, smirking. "It's animal blood." He then grinned deviously. "Dog to be precise."

I choked again. "What! _Dog?_"

He laughed at my expected reaction before waving his hand. "I was just joking. It's chicken blood."

I coughed a bit before smiling at his playful manner. "Ha-ha...very funny…"

"Though I presume you wouldn't mind at all if it _were _the blood of a dog would you? I certainly wouldn't," he grinned to himself.

I smacked my lips, wincing a little. "I do believe this is going to be an acquired taste…"

"Ah yes, it's not nearly as satisfying as human blood, I'm sure," Sebastian agreed, taking the dessert out of the oven.

Despite the different taste, I actually gulped the whole thing down, my body now accepting the animal blood with greed. My tongue ran along my lips and I set down the empty cup. To think that I was still thirsty despite having had a satisfying fill from _him_ was…despicable.

I lifted my head and stood up, walking forward to stand beside the butler. "Sebastian…"

"Yes Janelle?" he asked, cleansing a batch of blackberries.

I sighed, grabbing my arm. "I want to apologize for what I did to you last night. I...I didn't want to hurt you, and yet…"

His hand rested on my head and I opened my eyes in surprise.

He smiled. "Janelle, there's no need to act all gloomy. And there's no need to apologize either. I wanted to help you and I did. That's that."

"But I…"

He placed a finger to my lips, hushing me.

"No buts. Just smile. You don't want to be like the Young Master, serious all the time," he said the last words with a hint of humor in his voice.

He removed his hand from me and I obliged, giving a small smile.

"Then…thank you for helping me Sebastian."

"You're most welcome," he replied.

I stared at the way his arms worked swiftly and professionally, catching a glimpse of his smooth pale skin as his sleeves were rolled up.

"Tell me something…why would you be kind enough to let a lowly beast like me drink your blood? It's…not right," I inquired, still feeling guilty.

"It is merely a part of my duty as the Phantomhive butler. I am to make sure that everyone in the household, including the servants is made safe and out of harm's way," he chuckled. "No matter how disastrous some of them may be…"

He turned to me, placing his hand over his chest. "For you, it was my duty to aid you and stop your suffering. That is simply what makes me one hell of a butler."

"I see…I understand now…" I replied. I then touched my fingers to my lips. "Your blood…when I drank it…"

He smirked at me in amusement. "Oh? What were your thoughts?"

I felt my face heat up, suddenly feeling sheepish. "It was something I never tasted before…"

"I see. Did it drive you over the edge?" he offered with clear humor.

I twirled my hair nervously. "Maybe. It was…delicious…" I quickly looked away. "I…I shouldn't have said that."

He laughed. "Oh no, it's alright. I find it very amusing..."

I grew even more nervous with what I was about to say next. "And there was something else I realized when I drank your blood."

"Yes and that is..?"

I swallowed. "Y-you're not human either…are you Sebastian?"

He didn't answer me right away but his smirk only grew. He suddenly began moving closer to me and automatically, I stepped back.

"So you know…and does that scare you? What you have found out?" he asked, walking closer, his eyes changing color like it did the night before.

I continued walking backwards until I felt the wall meet with my back. I looked up at him, feeling trapped as he hovered over me with his great height.

"I'm…more interested than frightened honestly. But should I be?" I questioned back.

He slammed his hand to the wall near my head and my breath caught in my throat as his face neared mine.

"Who knows? Most people who dare to cross paths with my kind indeed fear us. The fact that I am…" His lips came to my ear. "A demon…" he whispered.

I placed my hand on his chest and he smiled, moving back to look at me.

"Well, now we know each other's secrets. You know that I'm a vampire."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yes, but I've known that you were one when I first laid eyes on you."

I smirked. "Oh...I figured that. But I had a feeling you weren't human as well," I defended.

"True, but did you know when you _first_ saw me?" he challenged, his warm breath hitting my face.

"Well…I…I guess you got me there," I admitted and he grinned.

"Aww…you give up so easily Janelle."

My eyes then narrowed in worry.

"But I can't keep this secret from the Young Master. He obviously has the right to know."

"Yes you're absolutely correct."

I smiled bitterly. "Well, I'm ready to face the consequences. He won't accept the fact that-"

Sebastian's finger traced down the side of my face before cupping my chin in his hand and making me look into his eyes.

"How do you know that my lord would brush you away so easily? As I had said before, you give up too easily…"

His fingers rubbed against the soft skin under my chin, making my face warm up even further. He was awfully close to me now.

His red eyes flashed for a second. "Hmm…I believe that the more blood you drink, the rosier your cheeks become. It enhances your beauty quite nicely…"

I was blushing? His eyes were capturing my gaze like they always did. My cheeks remained warm.

I eventually broke my stare and glanced down to see my hand still resting on his chest. I pulled away and twirled my hair.

"I…I suppose I'll have to speak to him now…"

Sebastian moved away from me. "Of course, I'll be there momentarily but I'll give you a head start to clear the air."

I nodded and then walked past him, heading out the kitchen without looking back. He placed a hand to the side of his face in thought, smiling as he watched me leave.

I touched my cheek on my way down the hallway, knowing they were still stubbornly tinged pink.

* * *

"Y-Young Master!" I exclaimed with slight uneasiness, bursting into the dining room without thinking.

Ciel looked up from his book in surprise and closed it, turning to me. "Janelle? What's the matter?"

I froze in place, realizing that the way I had entered was rude. I stepped backwards and exited the room, leaving him confused as he watched me return the next second. I bowed my head.

"Young Master, I apologize if I'm intruding on anything important."

Ciel's eyebrow twitched and he looked at me with a questionable expression. "No, it's fine. What is it that you want?"

I took a deep breath before walking up to him. His hands were clasped together and he eyed me curiously.

"I want to tell you something important, something I should've told you when you hired me," I admitted.

He shut his eyes for a moment before leaning back in his chair. "Are you going to explain to me about what happened to you at the time when Barrymore had us tied up? That you aren't human?"

My jaw dropped. "H-how did you…"

He scoffed. "It was rather obvious Janelle…the way you were viciously attacking those dogs."

I slapped myself in the forehead before composing myself. I lowered my head. "I'm so sorry for not telling you before," I bit my lip. "I understand if you do not wish for me to work for you anymore."

"Janelle," Ciel spoke and I looked up. "You're not leaving."

My eyes widened at his response and he nodded.

"I don't believe this is something worth stressing about. I won't shun you just because you hadn't informed me of your secret beforehand. Either way, I would've already known."

I smiled, finding that his answer was quite similar to Sebastian's.

"And also…"

He looked at me seriously but I could tell that he wasn't angry, in fact, he seemed understanding.

"I believe that you are worthy and capable of being part of the Phantomhive estate. My opinion has not changed."

I bowed deeply, feeling joy at his acceptance. "Thank you so much, I promise I won't let you down."

Ciel nodded and seeing Sebastian enter the room, he sighed. "It looks like I have two different beings by my side now, and both lust for one thing from humans. It seems something outrageous happens every day."

Sebastian chuckled, placing the dessert in front of Ciel and preparing his tea. "Well you should consider yourself lucky Young Master."

Ciel scoffed. "Lucky? I'll have to think about that. But I'm glad to have you with us Janelle."

I smiled in appreciation, lowering my head to him in a bow once more.

At that moment, Bard and Tanaka burst into the dining room. Bard noticed me, looking surprised. "Uh…is something going on here?"

"No, not at all. Am I right Janelle?" Ciel inquired to me.

"Yes sir! It's nothing you need to worry about Bard," I replied, smacking him on the back as he scratched his head in confusion.

"MISTER SEBASTIAN!" Mey-Rin's voice suddenly hollered as she and Finny crashed into the room through the other side.

"What is wrong? You're making a ruckus," Sebastian asked, slightly annoyed.

"Angela is nowhere to be found!" Finny exclaimed, looking panicked.

"Oh don't worry Finny! Angela went to gather some herbs that grow near the swamp," Bard assured him.

"Really? But why by herself?" Finny asked, still worried.

"Yeah, and at a time when the Devil Dog is on the prowl!" Mey-Rin added.

"She said that she was worried about you, Finny, since you looked pale earlier. She figured that the herbs would help you," Bard replied, and then crossed his arms. "Now that I think about it, perhaps it wasn't such a smart idea to let her go off by herself."

Finny stared down, his concern growing. "She was worried about me…Angela…"

He gritted his teeth and then instantly turned around and ran out the door.

"Ah! Finny! Not again, wait up!" Mey-Rin called, following him.

"I'm gonna go with them. Janelle, wanna come?" Bard asked me and I nodded. "Tanaka? What about you?"

We both looked to see that Tanaka was already wearing a soldier uniform and had a rifle with him, saluting to us.

Bard grinned. "Alright! That's what I'm talking about! Let's go team!"

He and Tanaka ran ahead and I glanced back at Ciel and Sebastian once more. Ciel shook his head at the nonsense that was happening and Sebastian let out a sigh but smiled at me. I then focused on moving forward, catching up with the gang.

* * *

"Angela!"

"Miss Angela!"

"Angela! Where are you?"

The three of them continued to call out her name frantically while I inhaled deeply, trying to see if I could smell her scent in the air. It didn't help that the fog was thick.

Then Mey-Rin screamed out of nowhere and we quickly came to her side.

"Mey-Rin? What's wrong?" Bard asked.

She didn't answer but simply pointed with a shaking finger at what she saw.

My eyes widened in shock as did everyone else. There were ripped limbs on large mounds of dirt all over the place.

"What the hell is this?" Bard questioned in horror.

"Now this is just too creepy!" Mey-Rin squeaked.

Finny gasped when he spotted something shiny in the distance and saw there was a hand with a silver ring attached to the middle finger. The ring had the letter 'B' engraved on it.

"H-hey…doesn't that hand belong to…"

Bard and Mey-Rin gulped. "L-Lord Barrymore?"

In the next moment, the howling of a dog sounded, causing the four of them to quickly hide behind one of the dirt mounds. I slowly joined them as they cautiously peeked over.

"That sounded like the Devil Dog!" Bard muttered.

I narrowed my eyes and spotted what looked like a naked man, with long white hair and a spiky collar around his neck, walking out of the fog towards one of the mounds.

We watched the man's strange behavior as he sniffed Barrymore's arm before moving it to the other side of the mound.

"So...it wasn't the Devil Dog that killed Lord Barrymore, it was a human!" Bard concluded.

I furrowed my eyebrows, sensing something different. "I don't think you should jump to conclusions so quickly Bard…"

Mey-Rin covered her nose since it was starting to bleed again. "A-and the man's n-naked too, he is! Oh this is too much!"

"Human or not, did this man have some sort of grudge against Barrymore?" Bard wondered.

Mey-Rin gasped. "Oh! Maybe it has something to do with Angela! Don't you remember that suspicious behavior we saw last night Janelle?

My eyes widened in realization and I snapped my fingers. "I got it! I was wondering why he looked oddly familiar. He's that man who was in bed with her! You're right Mey-Rin, they definitely have a connection!"

Bard frowned. "Really girls? Angela? But that can't be! I can't imagine that!"

I snickered. "You can't imagine anything can you Bard?" I said jokingly and he simply grinned in a proud manner.

"But Bard's right! How could Angela be the one behind the murder? I won't believe it!" Finny exclaimed, standing up from the hiding place.

"Be quiet Finny! He'll hear you!" Mey-Rin warned but it was too late.

The man in the distance turned around after having heard Finny's outburst. Finny flinched after seeing the man glance at him and froze.

A loud uproar interrupted us and we turned around to see a large group of the villagers stampeding towards our direction. My eyebrow twitched in disgust, noticing that they were all wearing rather unflattering swimming attire.

"What's with the get up every one?" Bard asked when the villagers stopped in front of us.

"We're going to perform ablutions in order to quell the Devil Dog's anger!" one of them answered from the crowd.

"Yeah! The Devil Dog sounded very angry! He was howling all last night, didn't you hear?" another piped in.

Finny turned around and saw that the man had disappeared. He immediately ran ahead again, not wanting to hear any more of what the villagers had to say.

"Aw not again! Let's go after him!" Bard shouted and the three of us followed without falter, leaving the villagers to do their warm-up stretches.

The five of us continued moving on, following Finny who was in the lead until we stopped after hearing dog howls again.

"We're getting close," Mey-Rin said.

The fog in front of us began to dissipate, revealing a monstrous figure. Fire burned in its mouth like a dragon and its eyes glowed red.

"Oh no…it's…" Bard trailed off.

"THE DEVIL DOG!" All three of them shouted in unison.

The Devil Dog roared loudly before charging at us, its paws revealing large black claws. Finny gasped when he saw what looked like Angela's white apron attached to one of the talons.

"That's…" Finny started before recklessly running towards the Devil Dog.

"Finny! Get back! What are you doing?!" Bard shouted.

I clenched my fist before running after Finny.

"Wait! Janelle, don't!" Mey-Rin cried.

"Finny, what do you think you're doing?!" I exclaimed when I got to him.

He didn't answer me but instead, jumped and latched onto the Devil Dog's front leg. I gasped and quickly dashed towards the other side, clinging onto the Dog's other leg in order to help Finny out.

"Finny! This isn't worth risking your life over!" I cried, wincing at the Devil Dog's struggling.

"No! I won't allow it to do anymore harm!" Finny shouted and then cried out when the Devil Dog attempted to shake him off with great force.

"Damn! Tanaka! Hand me your rifle!" Bard demanded and Tanaka did so.

Bard ran closer before kneeling down into position, gaining aim. "Alright, now's my turn to show what I've got."

But as Bard pulled the trigger, all that came out were party streamers instead of a bullet. "EH?! What's the meaning of this?! I'm not here to throw a celebration!"

The Devil Dog finally managed to shake off Finny, dropping him a few feet away before throwing me a farther distance away. I gritted my teeth and flipped backwards, trying to ease my landing as I rolled onto the ground, gaining some road burn.

I groaned from the harsh collision before lifting my head and seeing that Finny was about to get crushed by the hound.

"Finny! Run for it!" I cried and got to my feet.

Right before I was gaining speed, arms grabbed my waist and lifted me up. I blinked my eyes in surprise and found myself pressed against Sebastian as he carried me bridal style.

"Goodness that caught me off guard!" I commented, my jaw dropping.

He simply grinned. "It seems you are all getting yourselves into trouble again. What a bother…"

He ran like lightening, setting me down next to Mey-Rin before stopping the Devil Dog's paw from crushing Finny in mere seconds.

"Well now, at least you're decent with the 'Shake paws' command," Sebastian said, holding back the Devil Dog's strength with ease.

"Sebastian!" Finny called in surprise.

"However…it seems you're a bit too heavy!" Sebastian flipped the Devil Dog in the air as if were a light object.

"Holy smokes, is he amazing or what?" I nudged Mey-Rin absentmindedly and she merely gawked at his skill.

"Hey, this isn't the time to be playing around!" The authoritative voice of Ciel entered the scene as we turned to see him.

"Of course my lord, I intend to clean this mess up momentarily," Sebastian replied and then pulled out a box of what looked like dog treats. "…With this, something that any dog cannot resist."

The Devil Dog got back on its feet, drooling at the sight of it. The Dog howled in joy before racing towards Sebastian.

"Watch out!" Mey-Rin cried.

Sebastian merely stood there, undeterred. "The best way to tame a dog is to promote rewards and punishments. And so…" His eyes glowed. "It all comes with pain and pleasure."

We watched as he jumped high in the air.

"Here is pleasure!"

He landed on the Devil Dog's nose and nuzzled it with his teeth. The Devil Dog immediately grew mellow, enjoying Sebastian's treatment.

I twitched again. "I...I never thought…"

Finny scratched his head questionably while all the others merely stared in awe.

Sebastian then released the Dog, flipping forward.

"And here's pain!"

With that, he kicked the Devil Dog in the nose, producing the opposite reaction and knocking the Dog to the ground in a heap.

The pattern followed, with pleasure following after and then pain. Each, Sebastian performed something differently; either stroking the Dog's stomach or inflicting more blows that knocked the Dog senseless.

Sebastian spun the Dog around using its tail before throwing it a great distance, causing it to crash into broken walls.

Ciel scoffed. "Well, it seems it was a bigger show than I expected."

"And finally, an embrace!" Sebastian announced, running towards it with his arms wide before taking hold and sailing towards the sky, letting the Devil Dog fall back to the ground at an immense height.

A loud explosion emitted, picking up a large dust cloud. We shielded our eyes before seeing a large hole had formed.

We all approached the hole with haste. "Oi! Sebastian, quit fooling around and come back here this instant," Ciel commanded.

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian's voice echoed and in the next minute, another loud eruption began and we all moved back before a large rush of hot water spurted out.

"Whoa! Where's Sebastian?" Finny questioned.

"It seems that the most essential obstacle for a resort has been uncovered," Sebastian's voice stated.

We all looked closely to see him standing on top of the rushing water, carrying the man in his arms.

"This is one of the greatest tourist attractions known to mankind. Bathing luxuriously in this water proves to be quite relaxing. A hot spring is what it's called," Sebastian explained.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Bard exclaimed.

Sebastian leaped down the spring, landing to the ground gracefully. He smirked. "What good of a butler would I be if I couldn't strike a spring or two?"

The dog-turned-man reached over to lick Sebastian's face affectionately, earning an annoyed glare from the butler.

"Eek! I can't take it anymore!" Mey-Rin turned around, more blood spurting out of her nose from the intensity. I sighed, handing her a handkerchief which she whole-heartedly accepted.

Out of nowhere, Angela suddenly appeared out of breath. "Pluto!" she cried.

"Eh? What kinda name is that?" Bard questioned before Pluto bounded out of Sebastian's arm and ran to Angela.

"Oh you're such a good boy! There, there, I'm right here," Angela laughed, Pluto licking her face now.

I covered my eyes. "I think I've seen more than enough naked man butt than I want…"

* * *

The sun was now setting in the horizon. Everything calmed down as Angela sat down on the ground and stroked Pluto's hair, the dog boy resting on her lap.

"I found Pluto a long time ago," Angela explained with a warm smile. "I love dogs, and I grew to adore him so I ended up trying to tame him. Isn't he cute?"

Mey-Rin and Finny exchanged glances. "Cute?"

"I wouldn't really point in that direction to be honest…" I muttered quietly to myself and Bard heard me, nudging me in the rib with a grin.

"Unfortunately, he has a bad habit of turning into a human when he gets excited," Angela added.

"A habit?! That's some sick habit if you call it that lightly," Bard grunted.

"So, you kept him without telling anyone?" Sebastian cut in.

"Yes...I had to. My master was trying to prove the Devil Dog existed, but in reality, he feared it terribly. Things would have become worse if I told anyone…" Angela sighed sadly. "I guess I was naive to think that Pluto wouldn't have murdered Lord Barrymore…"

"Do you have a bag Bard? I need to puke," I whispered and Bard merely stifled his laughter.

Angela looked up at Ciel. "Please Lord Ciel, is there any way that Pluto can stay at your mansion? I beg of you!"

Sebastian immediately gave a look of disgust at her plead.

"Eh?! Are you joking?! When he's a dog, _he's huge_! That'll take up too much space!" Bard protested.

Angela glanced at Sebastian. "I'm sure that if Sebastian were to train Pluto, everything would be fine. Pluto would become a wonderful and obedient dog!"

Sebastian looked the other way. "Well, I _am_ one hell of a butler…but-"

"It's fine," Ciel interrupted, gaining a glare from Sebastian.

"Young Master, you can't be serious."

Ciel smirked at him. "Oh no, I'm dead serious. It'll be fun, in more ways than one."

Sebastian sighed in defeat. "What a pain…"

I grinned and moved next to the butler. "Say, it can't be that bad Sebastian! You'll make one hell of a butler _and_ one hell of a doggie trainer!" I teased, elbowing him in the arm.

A smirk appeared on his face and he looked down at me. "Oh then, if the Young Master says it's fun, I reckon it'll be even more fun if I have an assistant. Well Janelle?"

I played along. "Sure and that assistant will be Finny."

"Eh?! Why drag me into this?!" Finny shrieked.

"Indeed, how cruel of you Janelle. I say _you _fit perfectly for the job," Sebastian insisted with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Absolutely not!" I jumped back and then crossed my arms. "Sorry, there's a _long_ list that explains why I can't and _refuse_ to help train Pluto. Starting with the fact that he needs to wear clothes or at least be in his dog form!"

Sebastian chuckled. "Well that can be arranged. I'll just get him angry all the time."

"No! There's more!" I protested.

The rest of the Phantomhive servants laughed as we continued to throw comebacks at each other, Ciel sighing at the useless arguing.

"In any case, Janelle, I believe I will say one last thing," Sebastian stated with a grin.

"And what's that?" I asked, ready with more excuses.

"This case has finally come to a close!"

The Phantomhive servants cheered and I shook my head, though smiling at the approaching conclusion.

* * *

We all gathered our luggage and ourselves into the carriages we started with, ready for home. Angela was there to see us off.

"Ah…Angela…" Finny began, rubbing the back of his neck, not knowing what to say.

She smiled and took hold of his face. "I hope we meet again soon Finny," she said before kissing him on the cheek, making his face turn tomato red.

Bard wolf-whistled teasingly and I raised my hand as we high-fived each other.

"Alright then, shall we be on our way now?" Sebastian suggested as Finny clumsily stumbled in the carriage next to us.

"I'll come and visit Pluto sometime," Angela replied.

"I suggest you refrain from doing so," Sebastian declared. Angela's face grew serious.

"The Devil Dog will be very difficult to tame indeed…and yet," His red eyes narrowed at her. "You were able to do it…"

She didn't answer him. I stared suspiciously at Angela, feeling that same emotion she triggered whenever she glared at me.

"Let's go Sebastian," Ciel ordered and the butler bowed politely before heading to the front.

"See you soon Angela!" Finny cried out, the other two waving their goodbyes.

Angela waved back, beaming at us before watching us disappear from sight.

I kept my gaze on her as the carriage moved along. My eyes caught an evil change in her expression until she was gone.


	10. Celebratory Shenanigans

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I opened up the window, leaning my head out and feeling the biting cold against my cheeks. I sucked in a breath and felt the iciness combine with the freezing temperature of my own body.

"Shut the window Janelle! It's too cold!" Mey-Rin shivered, hugging her arms.

Tanaka sipped his usual green tea while Bard struggled with lighting his cigarette.

"God dang it! My fingers are getting numb!" He rested his head on the table. "Or maybe I'm just too sleepy…"

I rolled my eyes before closing the window and snatching the matches from Bard's slacken hand, lighting a match with one swift motion and moving the tiny flame to his cigarette which hung from his mouth.

"Thanks Jane," he mumbled, the smoke beginning to sail upwards and his eyes closing for a nap.

"Don't mention it," I grinned, blowing the match out.

"AHHHH!" Finny bellowed from outside the servant headquarters.

We all groaned in unison at the loud commotion happening so early in the morning and Mey-Rin and I turned to see Finny bursting into the room, panting heavily.

"Why the hell are you so noisy Finny? Can't a guy get some sleep around here?" Bard grumbled.

Finny bent over, catching his breath before looking up at us with urgency.

"Don't you guys know what day it is?!"

Mey-Rin fixed her glasses. "Eh? Why is that so important?"

"Look at the calendar!" Finny urged and pointed at the calendar on the wall.

Mey-Rin and Bard got a closer look at the date and gasped in alarm.

Bard lifted his head, suddenly feeling energized. "That's right! Now's not the time to be lazing around! We got to get to work!"

"Wait I'm confused. What's going on today?" I questioned until Finny came up to me and whispered it in my ear. My eyes widened in realization and a grin spread on my face. "Is that so?"

Finny nodded with a wide beam on his face.

Suddenly, the door of the large room burst open again, featuring Sebastian walking in at a fast pace. The four staff members immediately got into a straight line and I, being the slow one, simply stood next to Mey-Rin.

"All of you, we have very special and important guests today so I'm counting on you all to be on your best behavior," Sebastian commanded, his hands clasped together.

"Yes sir!" We all exclaimed together.

"Tanaka, do what you see fit. Finny, make sure the entire exterior of the Phantomhive estate is in the highest standard today," Sebastian ordered, walking down along the line and the acknowledged servants nodded their heads before heading to work.

"Bard, please take care of the kitchen and Mey-Rin, the main hall."

"Yes Sebastian!" They both declared before scurrying off.

Sebastian's footsteps stopped in front of me and I looked at his shiny black shoes, my eyes slowly making their way up his body until they met his face.

He tilted his head slightly and smiled.

"Janelle, you can come with me."

I blinked before nodding and giving a small smile.

"Alright."

We walked together back down the lengthy hall towards the main entrance. I took short quick steps to match with his long strides.

"Sebastian? If I may ask, who are the guests today?" I spoke up, walking by his right side.

He glanced at me. "They are Lady Elizabeth and her mother Marchioness Frances Midford."

I paused for moment. Elizabeth…that name…it was ringing a bell!

I then snapped my fingers in realization. It hit me in the next second. Was it _that _Elizabeth? The one from the Viscount's social gathering?

"Who exactly are they?" I asked, tapping my lower lip with my finger in thought.

"Lady Elizabeth is Ciel's cousin and fiancé. I'm sure you'll take a liking to her," Sebastian informed me.

I nodded, completely sure it was that girl. We finally arrived at the main entrance to greet the guests, where Ciel already waited. His hair seemed less tidy than usual and he looked a little exhausted.

In front of him stood a tall woman who looked very serious and of high class, along with a young girl with blonde ringlets as her hair. I covered my open mouth, it _was _that girl! I knew it! I gawked in surprise at how small the world could be at times…

"It's been a while since we've last seen you Marchioness Midford. It's a pleasure to have you here and as always, you've arrived earlier than expected," Ciel stated with an uneasy expression.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "Enough with the formal greetings. I see that with your apparent bed head, you have just woken up, am I correct?"

"Aww! Ciel with messy hair is _so_ _cute_!" Elizabeth gushed, latching herself onto Ciel with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He let out a yelp and struggled to keep his balance while holding his fiancé.

I giggled, finding the two of them to be adorable and a great match just by looking at them.

"Elizabeth!" her mother snapped, causing the blonde girl to flinch and turn around with fear.

Her mother glared. "I realize that you may feel comfortable in this household but have I taught you nothing about manners? You are acting improperly like an animal! Are you a refined woman or aren't you?"

Elizabeth squeaked in fright and let go of Ciel, lowering her head in shame. "I'm sorry mother! I...I got a little excited…"

Lady Midford scoffed in disgust before eying Sebastian, who came up to Ciel's side. He bowed politely in his usual way.

"I'm pleased that you are here my lady, welcome. I'd like to say that I appreciate your time to travel all the way…"

Sebastian trailed off with his sentence and we both noticed that she was giving him a very intense stare of disapproval. I gave a nervous smile as she approached him with a grimace.

"Might I ask…is there something on my face, my lady?" Sebastian asked, unsure of what to say.

She crossed her arms. "Your face…is not an appropriate image to present," she finally stated.

I hid my surprise and inside I was completely appalled at her statement. I held back the urge to defend Sebastian, not believing what she just said. Was she_ serious_? Sebastian's face was…I paused.

My mind hesitated on the next thought that followed and I quickly shook off those personal and embarrassing thoughts.

Sebastian tried to laugh it off. "Well…my lady, I can't help it. I was just born like this…"

The next thing she did caught the butler completely off guard.

"There is something here that _desperately_ needs dire improvement."

She suddenly grabbed Sebastian's bangs, pulling them up over his forehead.

I tried to stifle back a laugh, knowing it was bad to find it humorous, but it was amusing to see Sebastian being taken advantage of by a woman like her.

"The master and his butler are both clearly male and yet they have such long fringes! It's disgusting! Take a lesson from Tanaka!"

She pointed towards the house steward, who had popped out of nowhere.

Ciel and Sebastian merely twitched at her bold statement. She promptly let go of Sebastian, who frowned before reaching a hand up to his hair and fixing it back in place.

I was staring at the ground, trying hard not to burst out laughing until I heard her footsteps stop before me.

"And who may this woman be? I've never seen her before."

I quickly snapped out of my foolishness and maintained my composure, bowing.

"Hello my lady, my name is Janelle and I recently joined the Phantomhive staff."

She narrowed her eyes at me with a hint of suspicion.

"I see… and what is your position exactly? Don't tell me you're just some street rat that the master picked up off the street to stay here for free."

My eyes grew blank. It was as if she could see right through me. A pang of guilt stabbed my side. Actually, I wasn't really sure what my place was here. I kind of just…helped.

"She is not a freeloader Aunt Frances and if I may add, I don't appreciate you insulting any of my staff members," Ciel spoke up in a stern tone.

She raised an eyebrow at him, finding his sudden seriousness to be interesting.

"Is that so? You would tell your _aunt _not to do that?"

Ciel pondered for a moment before nodding confidently.

"Yes, I would if I see that it's right. Also, Janelle works here as my tutor."

My eyes widened at Ciel's kind words. I couldn't believe he was defending someone like me.

"A tutor?" Lady Midford didn't seem impressed. "Is she any good?"

Ciel nodded again. "Very. And she's helpful in keeping the other servants working smoothly as well."

I bit my lip, not used to being the center of attention. I shifted my legs and gripped my hands behind my back.

She directed her attention back to me and took my face in her hands. She glared. "If she is a tutor, she should _also _keep her hair out of her face. It's not professional to teach with messy hair like a slob. I want all _three_ of you to fix the problem at once. I won't be pleased until you do."

Ciel's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"What are you all waiting for? Take Tanaka as your model and hop to it! We don't have all day and so far, the master is not proving himself with my surprise check-up on this mansion," she stated, waving her hand to shoo us off.

Sebastian bowed and walked to another direction with Ciel, who begrudgingly trudged forward. Before I went on my way, a hand tugged on the back of my dress and I turned around to see Elizabeth smiling up at me.

"Hey miss? I've seen you before I think…but I'm not sure where, am I wrong?"

I smiled at her warmly and kneeled down to her level. "No you're not. I met you back when we were at the Viscount's gathering."

Her emerald green eyes shined, finally remembering. "Oh yes! You were that woman with the pretty white dress right?"

I giggled. "Wow, you remember that small detail?"

"Of course! I love dresses!" She took hold of my hand. "So your name is Janelle? It's nice to know your name. I was fussing over that matter when I was there." She grinned at me.

Her mother watched us chatting with a wary eye. "Elizabeth, you know this woman?"

"Yes, well...not really. But we've met briefly before!"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Where exactly are you from Miss Janelle?"

I shifted my eyes slightly. "Well…you were right about me earlier, my lady. I don't exactly have a good background. It's a long and bad story…"

She scoffed. "Well, I expected as much."

"I hope that I'll be able to prove that I'm good…different now. Please allow me to have that chance," I bowed my head.

She watched my fuchsia hair slipping down my shoulders. "Well first, if you want to prove yourself, fix your hair like the boys are doing now."

I looked up and nodded. "Right away, my lady."

And with that, I scurried off out of there sight.

Elizabeth sighed and stared at her mother. "Mother, do you really have to be so…"

"So what, Elizabeth? Do you not approve of the way I set things straight around here?" Lady Midford questioned, waiting for an answer.

She shut her mouth and shook her head.

"No mother, never mind. You're right."

* * *

I stared in the mirror as I pulled my hair up, wrapping it into a loose bun. I frowned, letting at least a few strands frame one side of my face. My cold hand clasped onto my left shoulder self-consciously.

"This is bad…I can't go out there…" I muttered to myself, spotting the ragged scar left from Madam Red's dagger back then. I shook my head.

"No…no…no…"

"What's the matter Janelle?" the smooth voice of Sebastian asked, hearing him approach me from behind.

I turned my gaze away from the mirror and stared at the marble floor of the bathroom.

"It's nothing important. Just being a drama queen."

Sebastian frowned. "You are being negative again. Perhaps I need to instill some sunshine into your brain. Your mind is getting ill from the constant rain clouds in there," he stated with a laugh.

"That's right Sebastian. I am sick. And seeing…this… just proves it once more…" I replied back, bitterness in my tone.

He raised an eyebrow before noticing that my hand was covering my shoulder. He gently removed my hand and noticed what I was talking about.

I suddenly felt both of his gloved hands grabbing my shoulders before something warm and soft hit my shoulder. I gasped and realized that his lips connected with my skin as he placed a small kiss on my back.

I couldn't help but smile at his unexpected move. He smirked and spun me around so that he could look at my face.

"Remember Janelle, think positive. Because I see past these scars you have, and what I see is something remarkable."

My eyes watered. "You think so?"

He smiled. "Yes, of course."

"Sebastian, you're being so nice," I said thoughtfully.

He smirked and chuckled darkly. "If you want to see the other side of me, I _can _show you Janelle. Very easily. After all, you know what I am."

I stared up into his eyes, seeing the devilish glint in them. I shook my head.

"No Sebastian, just stay as you are now. Perfect and…"

I finally noticed his hair was now slicked backwards like Tanaka's and I snickered.

"Wow…you look…"

He sighed. "Don't say it. I already know. But it's only for the Lady's request."

"No, you don't look bad Sebastian. Just different in a good way," I grinned.

He smirked. "You should see the Young Master. Of course, I had to help him with his hair."

I laughed. "I bet he looks cute nonetheless." I then walked past him. "Well, I think it's best if I check up on the other three and see how they are doing."

"Ah yes, I was just about to tell you to do that. I insist you hurry though. I'll be starting the inspection for the Lady soon," Sebastian warned me and I nodded in understanding before leaving.

* * *

"Hmm…maybe I should start with Finny first since his job's pretty big," I mumbled to myself and rushed outside.

I gawked in horror when I saw that Finny was cutting the winter roses that had just been added by Sebastian.

"Finny? What do you think you're doing?" I shouted, running up to him.

He turned to me and waved. "Oh hi Janelle! Aren't these flowers so beautiful? And there's so many of them too!"

I grasped my forehead, shaking my head. "No Finny, you're not supposed to cut them! That's destroying the garden!"

"Eh?!"

Finny stood up and realized the destruction he had caused. He clenched both sides of his head.

"OH NO! I FAILED AGAIN! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?" He started running around in circles with his panic.

I stumbled after him and managed to snag his arm. "Finny stop and take a deep breath. One…Two…"

"…Three…" Finny said and exhaled, placing a hand on his chest. He then groaned in frustration. "Oh I never do anything right! What am I going to do?"

I thought for a moment, rubbing my chin. "Well, we can't save the roses, except we can keep the ones you've already cut for something else. Here, let's put them aside."

Finny and I quickly set them on a stone bench.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Right now, I think you should concentrate on making at least everything else look good so that the Lady won't necessarily concentrate on what happened to the roses…"

Finny nodded nervously before running to get all the gardening tools we need.

"I'll start with mowing the lawn then!" Finny hollered after me and I nodded before working on sweeping the leaves and removing the weeds.

After a while, I looked back and noticed that Finny was halfway done but at this rate, Sebastian and the others were bound to come around.

I concentrated hard, focusing on inner energy. Maybe for now, my skills as a vampire could come in handy…

A burst of adrenaline rushed through me and the next thing I knew, I was working at a much faster speed, finishing the task in minutes before moving on to sweep the steps leading to the garden.

"I'm done Janelle! I'm gonna cut the hedges now!" Finny called, moving the lawn mower aside.

"Okay, be careful!"

I brushed hair aside from my face and finished up with sweeping. I looked around, scanning the area for anything else but saw that the rest of the flowers weren't damaged. I then came back to Finny and saw that the hedges were unevenly cut.

"H-How am I doing Janelle?" he called, shaking dangerously on the ladder.

"Well, it's a little…uneven," I commented with a sympathetic smile and I saw him slump over in disappointment.

"Aw…and here I thought I was-WHOA!"

I gasped when the ladder Finny was standing on gave out and fell over, making him sail to the ground.

"Finny!" I called and quickly moved under him, catching him in my arms and wincing when the ladder came down with a crash.

I set Finny on his feet and he sighed. "I'm sorry Janelle…" He moved to pick up the ladder.

I smiled. "Don't apologize. It's okay! Here, let me stand next the ladder so you don't fall and you can try again. I'll keep telling you if the hedges are uneven or not."

His eyes lit up. "Alright!"

I held the ladder secure and he worked his hardest, making sure he didn't cut too much or too little as he tried to sculpt the hedges with creativity.

"Hey, Finny, that's fantastic! It looks a little like a bird!" I clapped my hands at his accomplishment.

Finny grinned. "Yeah! I was inspired by my love for animals!"

I nodded. "I think we should pick up the pace because they may come by any time soon!"

"Right!"

I was amazed at how Finny worked quickly and efficiently with the rest of the tall hedges, seeing that he wanted to impress the guests as much as possible. His determination was clear in his actions.

After a few more minutes, I heard voices and recognized it to be the group. "Finny they're here!"

"What! But I'm not finished yet!" Finny panicked.

"It's okay! Continue what you're doing, stay calm, and put a smile on your face!" I gave him a wink and thumbs up. "I'll see you later Finny!"

He grinned at my encouragement as I bent over, speeding out of sight before Sebastian led Elizabeth and her mother into the garden, Ciel following close behind.

"Here's the garden my lady. We just got in some new-" Sebastian stopped midsentence when he realized the roses were gone.

"I mean…"

He surveyed the area and spotted Finny cutting the hedges. Finny met eye contact with Sebastian and waved enthusiastically.

Sebastian sighed. "As you can see, our 'creative' gardener has shaped the hedges into what looks like…" He twitched. "Animals…"

"Aww! That's so cute! Finny's a genius!" Elizabeth complemented.

Lady Midford scoffed. "Hmph, a little childish, but I suppose I'll let that slide since Ciel _is_ still a child himself."

Ciel crossed his arms and glared. "No I'm not. I'm the proud head of the Phantomhive family."

She tapped his forehead with her hand. "Of course you are, but don't deny it."

Behind the bushes, I watched the group going back inside the mansion.

"Better move on to Mey-Rin I guess…" I said and then dashed to the next destination.

* * *

"AHHHH!" A woman's cries were heard through the main hall.

I gulped, that was certainly not something I wanted to hear. I cracked open the door, seeing that Mey-Rin was bustling among the catastrophe of broken plates and excessive soap clinging to the windows.

"Mey-Rin?"

At the sound of my voice, she skidded to a halt. But since the hard wood floors were also slippery with too much water, she tripped and the plates in her arms flew in the air. I quickly dived forward, my arms catching Mey-Rin but then falling on my back from her weight.

"Ow…are you okay Mey-Rin?" I winced; her body sprawled over my stomach.

"Y-Yes! Oh no! The plates!" she shouted, pointing at the fragile items descending right at us.

"Catch them quick!" I said and barely caught three of them with my fingers while she slid forward and caught the rest, one of them landing safely on her back.

She groaned in exhaustion. "Oh dear…that was close…"

"Why do you always insist on running while carrying so many things?" I sighed with a smile.

"I-it's a habit I suppose. I was just trying to get things done faster, I was!" she replied shakily.

I exhaled deeply, placing my hands on my hips and looking around. "Here, hand me the plates and I'll put them away. I think we need to re-clean the floors and windows…"

"Y-Yes, you have a point there." She scratched her cheek with a sheepish laugh before racing to get the cleaning supplies.

I stepped on a stool and placed the plates back safely in the glass cabinet and heard Mey-Rin rushing into the room with mops, buckets, and towels.

She stood there for a moment as if she was forgetting something.

"Polishing materials?" I suggested.

She clenched her fist. "Oh yes! I'll be right back!"

"You don't have to run!" I reminded her and she obeyed, walking at a less reckless but fast pace.

Upon her return, we went straight to work. She was mopping the floor while I hastily cleaned and polished the soapy windows.

When I finished, I saw that Mey-Rin was a lot calmer now and taking care of things perfectly, making the floor look shiny and good as new.

"Mey-Rin! Wow! Brilliant job!" I praised her.

She looked up in surprise and fixed her glasses. "Eh? What did you say Janelle?"

I smiled. "I said you were doing splendidly! You didn't notice?"

She gasped and stopped to look at what she had done. "Oh yay! I did something right, I did!" she squealed with joy.

I laughed. "Of course, you just need to stop worrying about time and you'll get the job done well!"

Her cheeks turned bright pink. "Y-You think Sebastian will be happy with me?"

I nodded. "Definitely!"

She grinned and then finished up the floor. Upon setting down the mop, we heard voices approaching the room we were in. She squeaked in fright and I put a finger to my lips.

"Just be yourself, Mey-Rin. You did the job; now all you have to do is act presentable." I whispered. "I must go now."

"W-wait! Janelle! Where are you-"

The door opened as I was tiptoeing to the opposite exit and Mey-Rin immediately stood straight and ready.

"…you can see that I took the liberty of ordering lovely wallpaper from France," Sebastian said, allowing the ladies to walk in the main hall.

"Hmm, well I'll admit, this isn't bad," Lady Midford admitted, examining the sparkly clean and neat hall.

"It's really pretty! Mey-Rin did all this?" Elizabeth stared in awe.

Sebastian looked at Mey-Rin with a hint of surprise and she chuckled nervously, brushing off the front of her dress.

"I…I tried my best, I did…" she replied, a little embarrassed.

"Good job Mey-Rin, shall we move on then?" Ciel commented, turning to leave.

As they all exited and moved on, Mey-Rin let out a sigh of relief and sank to the floor. She held her burning face.

"Oh wow, Sebastian actually looked…pleased!"

* * *

I fast-walked towards the kitchen and poked my head inside to see Bard about to use explosives…again!

"Freeze mister! Put your hands in the air!" I shouted like a cop though I had a grin on my face.

"I'm innocent!" Bard exclaimed, setting down the grenade and turning around with a large strap of bullets attached to him.

I laughed and pointed at the weaponry. "You call yourself innocent? Excuse me sir, I'll have to confiscate your weapons for the day."

"WHAT? But that's not fair!" Bard complained as I gathered up all the dangerous items and stuffed them in his closet.

"Do you have any chains?" I asked and he looked the other way innocently.

"I...I don't know, why on earth would I know where the chains are?"

"Hmm…is this breakable? I think so…" I offered, weighing the rifle in my hand before grasping it with both hands and positioning it to my knee as if I were to split it in half.

His cigarette popped out of his mouth and he reached his hand out. "W-wait! Don't do it! I-I know where the chains are!"

I grinned and patted his cheek. "I knew that was lodged somewhere in your memory Bard…"

He released crocodile tears when he gave me the chains and I locked up his weapon cabinet.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keep your chin up soldier. It was for the innocent bystanders' and your own good."

He looked sad at first but then shook it off and saluted to me, winking. "Sure thing missy."

Footsteps approached.

"Oops! That's my cue!" I waved goodbye and then escaped in a flash.

He stared after me in confusion before prepping himself for their entrance. Sebastian entered the kitchen first.

"Bard, do you have the Spanish tangerines and the Ceylon tea?"

"Yes sir." He moved to the counter and handed him the basket of fruit and tea. "Here you go!"

Sebastian took it from him before looking around. Bard grinned proudly and spread his arms out.

"See, Sebastian? I didn't blow anything up! Eh? EH? Everything's still intact!" He did a little victory dance.

The butler sighed. "Well it would seem so. For now, that is."

Bard forced a laugh, Sebastian giving him a warning glance before stepping out the door.

* * *

I stood at the main entrance, tapping my chin in thought.

"I still feel that I'm forgetting something…let's see…"

I used my fingers as a checklist.

"Finny's fine. So is Mey-Rin, Bard…"

Light bulb!

"Pluto! Bingo!" I brought a finger in the air.

After realizing that it was Pluto I had forgotten about, horror began to rise.

"Oh no…Pluto, not good. What will Lady Midford think if she sees him?"

I took a deep breath before pushing the large double doors and walking down the steps, immediately spotting the monster-sized dog sleeping near the water fountain. I tip-toed to Pluto and gently placed a hand on him.

"Pluto! Hey buddy, wake up! I need to move you somewhere else!"

Pluto's ear twitched and he shifted his head under his paw.

"There's a nice shady area in the back," I sang but he still didn't move.

I sighed heavily, standing there with my arms crossed and tapping my foot. I then decided that perhaps force was the last resort.

"Pluto! Come on! Be a good boy like you are with Angela!" I said through clenched teeth as I took hold of his front leg and tried pulling him.

Pluto growled and pushed me away. The strong force knocked me back and made me fall on my butt.

"Ugh…" I hissed, dusting my hands of pebbles.

"Janelle!" Someone called.

My spirits immediately lifted at hearing that voice.

"Finny! I'm so glad to see you!"

Finny raced towards me. "What are you trying to do?"

"Think what will happen if the guests see Pluto! We need to hide him somewhere quick!" I replied.

Finny snapped his fingers. "I know where! There's an empty shed near the forest that's big enough for him. We can keep him there for now and it's perfectly safe!"

"Brilliant! Now I'm nowhere near as strong as you so could you help me out?" I asked.

"With what you did for me, there's no way I'd say no!" Finny beamed before grabbing hold of Pluto's leg. "Let's go! Nice doggie! Time to take a nap in the nice comfy shed!"

Pluto let out a loud throaty growl, his red eyes opening as he lifted his head and sniffed Finny's head. Finny pushed Pluto's nose away and began dragging the large mutt while I went behind Pluto and exerted force.

"Come on! Move ya mangy mutt!" I snapped in annoyance.

Pluto's claws grazed on the ground, whining and overall making too much of a ruckus.

"Shh! Please be quiet Pluto! The shed's not far, I promise boy!" Finny assured him.

Pluto was barely moving at all, despite our best efforts.

I panted heavily as did Finny. "No good, we need more help!"

Finny looked at me behind Pluto's body. "I'll go and get Mey-Rin and Bard!"

"Yes, good idea! But hurry, I'll hold off Pluto for now!" I said and he nodded, running into the mansion.

Pluto rested back down on the ground with a quaking thud. I cautiously looked behind me before sitting beside Pluto, stroking his fur for a moment.

"You know, I guess you're not that bad…and you could be cute, if I squint my eyes that is," I joked, rubbing Pluto's stomach and he growled in pleasure.

I shielded my eyes from the sun and looked ahead of me, scanning the area until I saw a familiar figure in the distance. My eyes widened and I shot up to my feet. Sebastian!

I looked to the main entrance, biting my lip. "Oh Finny…please hurry…"

I could see the group was approaching and Pluto suddenly shot his eyes open, having smelled their scent. A force of wind blew behind me and when I turned around, Pluto was in his human form. That meant he was naked-which was _bad_.

"No Pluto! Down boy!" I caught his arm when he tried to run after the group. I began to feel anxious and pulled on Pluto, eventually using my other hand to pull both his arms back.

Pluto continued to resist and whine, kicking the air. But eventually during the struggle, he turned around and licked my face, catching me by surprise. I closed my eyes and kept him a good distance away but then he started licking my hands.

"Stop Pluto! Work with me here, stop fooling around!" I demanded.

Finally, I heard footsteps behind me and saw the three running up to us.

"Thank god you guys are here! Sebastian and the others are coming! Take Pluto to the shed and I'll think of some kind of distraction to buy you all some time!"

The three of them nodded in response.

"Ugh...did he really have to transform?" Bard stated in disgust before he and Mey-Rin took hold of him.

"W-well, look on the bright side! If he was in his dog form, this would be harder!" Mey-Rin stated, turning red and pinching her nose just in case.

"Oh no! They're getting closer!" Finny warned and helped the two.

I looked back and forth between the group and Pluto before the first distraction I thought of came to my head.

"Yes…everything seems to be in top shape in the front of the mansion, though what's going on over there…?" Lady Midford tried to peer behind Sebastian, hearing the rabble.

Sebastian began to turn around but instead of seeing Pluto and the others, he saw me launching myself at him.

"Sebastian!" I shouted excitedly and threw my arms around his neck, taking him off guard as he spun around, keeping balance from my sudden collision.

"Janelle? What is the meaning of-" Sebastian started but I cut him off by saying something that surprised everyone.

"Excuse me, my lady, but don't you think Sebastian is _sexy_?" I said giddily, nuzzling myself against the butler's chest.

Everyone gawked at me in an awkward silence.

"I beg your pardon! How disgusting! What kind of woman are you to just jump on him like that! And why on _earth_ would I think of him as that inappropriate adjective you just uttered!" Lady Midford snarled.

"B-but look at him! He's got such a _fine_ figure," I slurred, trailing my hand down his chest.

Lady Midford's mouth dropped open and she turned to his nephew, who looked humiliated. "Ciel, are you _sure_ she's your tutor?"

"P-positive Auntie…she doesn't act like this all the time I assure you!" he tried to explain.

Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle at my behavior as I continued to act like I was drunk, clinging onto Sebastian, who tried to pull me off.

Ciel was about to reach his last nerve and just when he was about to scold me, in the corner of his eye, he spotted the Phantomhive servants dragging Pluto away. They managed to disappear behind the building. Seeing that, he immediately understood why I had acted out the way I did, letting all thoughts of anger vanish.

"Aunt Frances, shall we go and head to the stables instead? Sebastian, aren't there some horses that you'd like to show her?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian grinned. "Why yes my lord, thank you for bringing that up."

Ciel nodded. "Please follow me, and I shall lead you two there. Sebastian will join us after dealing with the current matter at hand."

Lady Midford didn't look back once as Ciel walked in front, Elizabeth grabbing onto his arm.

"Phew, that was close…" I wiped my forehead and looked up to see that Sebastian was giving me a creepy smile.

"Janelle, explain yourself at once." His eyes glowed and a dark aura surrounded him.

I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "I'm terribly sorry about that Sebastian, but that was the only thing I could think of as a distraction. You see, the others and I were trying to get Pluto out of sight. But it proved to be a struggle…"

I stared down at the ground. "Then you all were coming and…we panicked…"

I stood there awkwardly, expecting him to scold me or walk away but instead he laughed. I looked up to see him smiling.

"So that was all? I thought you were trying to pull a fast one on me. Then I really would have punished you." His smirk grew in amusement.

"Oh…so that means you're still going to punish me?" I asked in a playful manner.

"Indeed. You're going to get it Janelle," he replied, his eyes flashing.

I sighed. "Well…there goes my chances of proving that I'm good to the Lady…"

He stroked my face. "Don't give up Janelle. Besides," His finger grazed my lip. "There's nothing wrong with being bad from time to time."

He then leaned close to me when another thought came to mind. "And what was all that you said about me? Would you be so kind as to refresh my memory?" he teased.

I grew warm with embarrassment and stepped away. "I...I guess I got a little carried away…"

"I'm curious, could those be truths?" he continued to press.

"Uh…" I turned and made a run for it. "Don't you have to get back to the Young Master?" I reminded him before escaping like my life depended on it.

Sebastian watched me leave, shaking his head before catching up to his master.

* * *

When I arrived back inside the mansion, the three servants were already rushing back and forth with party preparations.

"So, where is it taking place?" I asked the three.

"In the ballroom of course! Come, we've already decorated the place and everything!" Finny stated, pushing me into the large room.

Once inside, I saw that Finny had used the roses he had cut to adorn the tables and curtains. Mey-Rin tried her best to copy Sebastian's style and Bard created a combination of the Young Master's favorite foods.

Bard shrugged. "Yeah I know, it's not the best and Sebastian and the Young Master are probably gonna think it's bad. But we wanted to do this ourselves."

I smiled, patting him on the back. "I think it's just fine. All of you worked so hard today."

"Not without your help!" The three of them shouted in unison.

I shook my head. "No. I believe that you all have the capability to do it yourselves. You just need to bring that skill out from inside you."

"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka spoke up and we all turned to see the steward sitting Japanese style in the corner.

I laughed. "Yea, good job to you too Tanaka. Drinking tea, being a good hair model!"

"Oh Janelle! There's one last thing!" Mey-Rin pulled me aside and pointed out the piano in the corner of the ballroom. "We brought it in here because we thought you could…"

I gave her hand a squeeze. "Of course! This'll be great!"

Finny pressed his ear against the door. "They're coming everyone! Tanaka, lead them inside and everyone take your positions!"

Tanaka got up and walked out the door as the three stood in the center. I took my seat on the piano bench, opening it up to reveal the keys and recalling the specific tune I was to play.

"Shhh! It's time to hide!" Mey-Rin whispered and they disappeared behind their specific places.

"Where is everybody?" We heard Ciel's voice coming closer.

As soon as the door opened, I cracked my knuckles and began my own spin on the tune first. Once I reached the notable part, Mey-Rin was the first to pop up from beside the piano. "Happy Birthday to you!"

"Happy Birthday to you!" Finny continued happily, appearing from below the table.

"Happy Birthday dear Young Master!" Bard sang, standing up on a chair.

I played the last few notes, seeing Ciel and the rest of them looking shocked.

"Happy Birthday to you!" The four of us sang in unison and I ended the tune with a nice little touch.

We cheered and clapped for Ciel, who still looked absolutely shocked. "What was…I can't believe…"

Lady Midford actually clapped as well, coming up behind Ciel. "Well now, it looks like your thoughtful staff members beat me to it."

Ciel turned around to face his aunt. She gave a genuine smile and placed her hand on his head like a mother would.

"I came here especially to say, 'Happy 13th Birthday' Ciel."

I grinned and squealed in excitement with Mey-Rin. Elizabeth beamed at her mother and fiancé and Sebastian smiled at the scene along with the other guys.

"Ciel, I'm putting my faith in you to take care of my daughter as her future husband," Lady Midford added.

Ciel finally smiled and nodded. "Yes I will, thank you so much." He turned around to us. "Thank you everyone, it means a lot."

We all cheered for him once again before everyone began crowding together, Bard suggesting booze while Elizabeth suggested dancing.

Lady Midford approached me when I stood up from the piano. "You play very well Miss Janelle. How did you learn to play?"

I smiled proudly. "My father taught me. He was the best." I then bowed my head to her. "I sincerely apologize for my behavior earlier. I understand if I failed to prove that I was more than just a lowly woman…"

She clasped my shoulder and I looked up to see her smiling.

"There's no need. I know. I also know that you make quite the assistant around here," she chuckled. "You can't fool me."

"You saw me?" I smiled bashfully and she nodded.

"Keep it up Janelle. Don't fool around too much, if you know what I mean…" she said, winking.

I laughed. "Yes, I'll try not to," I played along.

* * *

In the end, the dancing was incorporated into the party but Bard's fun idea was left in the dust.

I watched as Ciel and Elizabeth danced the waltz together, her mother watching with a proud look on her face. Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin all took turns dancing in circles with Tanaka marching around them like a soldier.

I peered to the side and spotted Sebastian placing the cake he had prepared beforehand onto the long table, looking with disapproval at the clumsy decorations Finny and Mey-Rin had created.

I pondered for a moment, fighting with my shy side before I took a deep breath and approached the butler.

"Ahem...Sebastian?"

"Yes Janelle?" he replied without looking at me, frowning at the roses he had gotten which were now strung carelessly on the curtains.

I bit my lip. "W-would you like to dance?"

His hand let go of his chin and he turned to me with surprise. I fidgeted with my hair, cursing myself for sounding so awkward.

He blinked before smirking. "Why of course. In fact, I should be the one asking the lovely lady," he said, bowing and then taking my hand.

His other hand wrapped around my waist and my left hand rested on his chest. A sudden spark ran through my fingertips at this déjà vu moment and I smiled to myself. We danced among the others, getting into step with the music.

Sebastian led me around gracefully and I followed him, our movements not faltering at all. It was just us two once again, floating sky high. Like magic…

"This…" I started to say and he glanced down at me.

"…is like the first time we met, isn't it?" I asked him, wandering into the depth of his eyes.

He chuckled, knowing exactly what I was talking about.

"Yes, it is. Except now, I get to see your beautiful face."

I smiled at his comment, replaying the scene of our first dance and feeling happy that I was able to do it all over again.

Eventually, we slowed down our steps when the music began to end, stopping to clap for Ciel and Elizabeth.

"It's not over yet!" Lady Midford insisted with a laugh, continuing on with new music.

I looked up at Sebastian. "Do you mind coming closer for a moment? I need to tell you something…"

He raised an eyebrow before obeying and bending his head down.

I grinned, moving close to his ear before tricking him by gently holding his face between my hands and kissing his cheek.

His eyes widened in surprise, his hand brushing the place where my lips touched.

"Thank you for lifting my spirits, Sebastian," I whispered.

He smirked and grabbed a few strands of my hair, letting it fall between his fingers.

"Oh Janelle, you won't get away with tricking me twice." His eyes glinted pink. "I suggest you watch your back."

I grinned mischievously. "Then I'll be waiting."


	11. Stranger

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

My hand roamed around for the doorknob, grasping onto the cold metal before turning it and barely getting my foot to catch the door before it closed.

Ciel looked up in curiosity from his book while I gently pushed the door back with my foot and let myself in. His blue eye widened when he saw that I was carrying a LARGE stack of books in my hands and therefore couldn't see my face.

"I'm back my lord!" I said cheerily, moving towards his desk and setting down the stack of books, picking up small dust clouds.

Ciel irritably waved the dust away from him and let out a sneeze.

"Bless you!" I grinned.

"Why did you bring all these books over here?" Ciel demanded.

I blinked my eyes a few times before smiling.

"Oh! I stopped by the library and found all these books and well…" I laughed nervously. "I couldn't help myself. I guess I got a bit carried away…"

Ciel didn't say anything, the scowl on his face drawing concern on mine.

"I'm sorry Young Master, should I put them all bac-"

"No, no, don't bother since you've already brought them here."

He looked up and smirked when he saw that I still looked concerned.

"I'm not mad, please sit," Ciel assured me, gesturing me back to my seat.

I set myself down beside him, dusting the front of my dress. He let out a sigh. "I will admit that I thought those books were some kind of heavy assignment you were going to make me do."

I laughed. "You really thought I was going to assign that much work for you?"

Ciel looked me in the eye. "You haven't seen how much Sebastian has thrown at me, have you?"

I reached over and patted his head. "Don't worry; I won't be as _devious _as our fellow butler. But then again…it does seem tempting…"

I tapped my chin and saw him glaring at me with a pout. I waved that off.

"I'm joking Young Master!"

I glanced down at what he was directed to read. "Anyway, how is the book coming along? Do you have any questions?"

Ciel turned back to the book in his hands and skimmed the previous pages that he had read.

"It's quite interesting so far, but at times it can get dense. Similar to Shakespeare I would have to say." He reached over to take a sip of his tea. "But yes, I like it."

I clapped my hands. "That's great! Don't you just find the main character fascinating? His relationships with his family members are strange and complicated but that's what makes this novel good no?"

Ciel nodded. "I can understand how he feels, especially when it comes to the scenes between him and his estranged father."

"Yes…" I rested my chin on my hand. "Why do you think his father was so set on killing him before?"

"I was thinking that it had something to do with a type of competition. Or maybe that he never wanted his son to be born."

I smiled. "Precisely! Perhaps the Oedipus complex plays a part here. I found that out when I was skimming through a textbook in the library."

Ciel's eye lit up in realization. "I get it now, so you're saying that the father wanted to kill his own son in competition of his wife's love? That makes more sense…"

"Yes, he feared that his wife would love his son more than she did him. You're quite intelligent Young Master," I complemented.

Ciel sipped his tea. "I know…but apparently Sebastian doesn't think so," he replied sarcastically with a smirk.

The young Earl went back to reading the book, silence setting in as I went and took a random book from on top of the towering stack.

"Ugh…I hate this part…" Ciel spoke up abruptly, scrunching his brows in annoyance.

"Hmm?" I inquired, turning back to him.

"I find the scenes with his sister very irritating," he replied.

"You mean the love triangle she's stuck in?"

"Yes, it's ridiculous! For God's sake, she should just choose someone already," Ciel stated, shaking his head while turning to the next page.

I set down my book. "Well, I do understand how she feels. She loved those men both in different ways and I suppose she's finding it hard to decide whose love she cherishes most."

"Well if you ask me Janelle, I think she should choose the second lover," Ciel declared matter-of-factly.

I raised an eyebrow, amused by his stern opinion. "Really? But don't you find the relationship between her and her first love more…true?"

Ciel clasped his hands together. "Honestly, I'm not someone who dwells in matters of love. But the reason why I feel that she should be with the other man is because in my opinion, she wouldn't have fallen in love with another man if she had truly loved the first one."

I stared at him blankly, sinking in everything that he had told me.

Ciel smirked. "So in another words, I disagree with your statement Janelle. The relationship between her and her first love wasn't as true as most would think."

A smile crept on my face. "The teacher learns something from the student…"

"Do you have something to back up your side of the debate?" Ciel challenged.

I shook my head. "Not right now. But I will say that it's wonderful…" I grinned. "…to learn something new! Thank you for your insight!"

Ciel rolled his eyes at my enthusiastic reply and from then on, we continued our lesson.

* * *

I stole a glance at the grandfather clock, finding that it was early in the evening before heading down into the servant headquarters. Inside, I could already hear that there was a fuss going on.

"You guys?" I said softly, peering inside and seeing that the three were running back and forth all over again.

"Bard! You completely burned the meat, you did! Even the vegetables are charred!" Mey-Rin shouted, holding up the scorched lettuce.

Bard tried to flatten his fresh afro, causing some soot to fall out. "My bad! I was panicking because we're running out of time!"

"Panicking doesn't get us anywhere!" Mey-Rin stated frantically.

"YES! Says the one who can't stop running around like a moron!" Bard retorted.

Mey-Rin grimaced and then looked behind her to see Finny entering the other side of the kitchen.

"Finny? Do we have anything more?"

"No, I'm afraid not! Bard has completely destroyed all our supplies!" Finny announced with anxiety clear in his voice.

"You're saying we don't have _anything_ left?" I piped in, walking up to them.

The three finally noticed me in their hullabaloo and sighed in relief.

"Oh Janelle! I'm so glad you're here!" Bard grinned at me, pulling me in closer with his arm around my waist.

Finny sighed. "Alright, we can still make it. I'll just go run out and get the supplies. It shouldn't take me that long."

"I'll go and make a list of what we need then," Mey-Rin said, moving to get the notepad.

I glanced at both of them. "Finny, have you finished your chores yet?"

"No." Finny let out another sigh. "But this needs to be done first. We have another important guest today and we can't afford to screw up the main course!"

I patted Bard's hand and he let me go. "How about I go and get the supplies since I'm pretty much done with my tasks. You shouldn't cut into the middle of your duty Finny," I smiled, resting a hand on his shoulders.

Finny's eyes glittered. "A-Are you sure? Is it not too much trouble?"

"Of course not! Since when have I ever thought helping you all was a nuisance?"

"Sebastian thinks so!" All three said in unison.

I laughed at their answer before moving to Mey-Rin. "Are you done with that list?"

"Yes I think…Bard?"

She handed the small note to the cook and he nodded.

"Yea that's about it, here you go Jane!" He passed it to me.

Finny still looked concerned. "But you don't have to carry the burden by yourself. I can go with you Janelle! Honestly it's no big deal for me!"

"But it's a big deal if Sebastian sees that you haven't done your job well!" I insisted, walking past.

Bard rubbed the back of his neck. "It's gonna get dark soon and it's not exactly safe to be out in town all alone…"

"Yes! Especially for a woman!" Mey-Rin added.

I grabbed the basket off the counter and smiled back at them.

"Don't worry so much, I'm as tough as nails!" I assured them, clenching my fist. "And besides, you all are needed here the most."

With that, I left the room, leaving the three to exchange glances of uncertainty.

* * *

I quickly went to grab my turquoise cloak before speeding back to the main entrance. Taking one last look back, I pulled the hood over my head before beginning to open the double doors.

"And where do you think you're going Janelle?"

I flinched, the doors closing on me and I turned around to face the smiling butler. "Oh it's nothing, handsome. I just need to get some supplies because Bard apparently messed up again."

Sebastian frowned. "How typical, and now you intend to go to the marketplace alone?"

"Yes! It'll be simple so it's not really anything to fuss over," I grinned.

Sebastian sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "If it wasn't for my master ordering me to keep everything in line here for a guest…and if we weren't running on such a tight schedule, I would have accompanied you."

A brief faint blush set on my face. "You'd really do that? I mean obviously because it's your duty as-"

"Leaving a young woman to go on her own doesn't particularly sit well with me," Sebastian cut in, smirking at my flustered form and brushing his bangs aside.

I looked away shyly. "You don't have to bother yourself with me at all…" I faced back to the door.

Before I made my leave however, he interrupted me again.

"Here, take this."

"Hmm?"

I turned around to see that a handkerchief was in his outstretched hand. I narrowed my eyes before hesitantly taking it from him.

"Okay…Thanks Sebastian but my nose isn't exactly dripping…"

Sebastian laughed. "No, it's not for that. It is the only handkerchief I carry around with me. It's one of the most essential items a butler must have."

"Oh I see…" I stared down at it blankly. "Actually I don't understand."

"It's something I want you to hang on to for now and then when you return, you'll give it back to me safe and sound," he explained with a smile.

His reason finally hit me.

"So is this some kind of insurance for me to come back?"

Sebastian chuckled. "You could put it that way." He put a finger to his lip. "It's just so you don't get tempted to run off."

I grasped his handkerchief in my hand. "You really think I would run away?"

He grinned. "You tell me."

I opened the door and looked back.

"I wouldn't run away Sebastian." I gave a melancholic smile. "Not when I've met great people like you."

He nodded, bowing with his hand over his chest. "Then I'll put my faith in you."

I pretended to blow my nose in his handkerchief; emitting a trumpet sound and making him chuckle at my silliness.

"Well now, I suppose this will be of use after all," I joked and then I turned away, closing the door behind me.

* * *

I merged my way among the crowd, walking the familiar streets but feeling a lot differently than I did in the past. I was walking the streets alone like before, but now it was for a purpose. Not too long ago, I traveled the outside world without any goal except to lose myself. But now I could return to a place that could be my home and to people who were becoming like my family…

I quickly found the last item in a more desolate area, feeling the weight of the filled basket on my arm.

"Here you go ma'am. Have a good rest of the night!" The store owner handed me the paper bag and I returned his words before leaving the store, a jingle of a bell sending me off.

I walked on, feeling a biting cold breeze flow past me. I clenched my cloak closer around me, wisps of my hair blowing in waves against my face. In the process, I felt the cloth of Sebastian's handkerchief brush against my fingers and I gently pulled it out, seeing the small daggers pointing to an 'S' on the corner.

I smiled, remembering what he told me as my hand unconsciously brought the cloth close to my nose, letting me inhale it. His warm scent immediately filled my senses.

'S' for simple, smart, suave, sexy… A second lover…?

I caught myself, my face growing warmer. Why was I thinking this way? I can't! This isn't right. It wasn't like me at all.

Or perhaps, I just hadn't been myself for so long…

My feet moved forward but my mind was occupied. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. My surroundings were getting quieter and it was getting darker, with only lamp lights shining my way.

I'm too easy. I was falling too quickly. Right now, that was _not_ an option. Something I couldn't allow myself to get into.

After all, I was still waiting.

I gasped and turned around, feeling that there was a presence behind me. My senses were tingling and an unnerving chill ran up my spine. There was something eerily familiar about this…

A shadow dashed past me and I took a step back, readying myself for what may come at me. I clenched the handkerchief and hid it in my chest, over where my heart was.

The shadow moved again and I turned back around, my eyes darting around the vacant area. I should've been watching where I was going…

A brief footstep sounded behind me and I veered the other way once again.

"Who's there?"

I tried to sound strong but my voice came out small, almost non-existent.

"There you are. My Janelle…"

My heart froze. Time stopped. My eyes went wide. No more movement.

It…can't be.

More footsteps moved toward me and my thoughts deceived me once again.

No...My mind is playing tricks. I just miss him so badly, that's why.

On impulse, I moved back but he kept coming closer. His scent reached my nose. It was all too familiar. It was all rushing back to me again. Something began to swell in my chest, reaching to my throat.

"It's been too long." His voice spoke again, unlocking more old feelings. "I missed you so much."

It _was_ him. My heart awakened and felt like it could explode.

My eyes looked from his shoes to his legs, up to his slim figure, which hadn't changed a bit. Then I saw his face, his brown hair, his blue eyes, and his lips...I'm not dreaming.

His mouth tugged into a smirk. "Janelle…you look different, even more beautiful."

Beautiful? How could I have gotten any more _beautiful? _I'm a beast! If only he had _seen _what I had been through! It was plainly there-on my skin…and under it.

"Your hair…"

I shivered when his fingers grasped a few strands of my hair.

"It's longer…"

He rubbed my hair between his fingers, letting it slip like water. Then his arms made contact with my skin for the first time and he grabbed me into him.

Wasn't this the moment I had been waiting for all this time? I was in his arms again. I was with him again. It was just me and him…

He hugged me so tightly. My nose was clouded with his nostalgic scent. The one I love, he finally came for me.

He pulled back, but only enough so that he could see my face.

"Janelle, it's me. Don't tell me you forgot about me!"

He then glanced down to the basket that I had firmly gripped in my hand, a glare setting on his face.

"What are you doing with this…?"

He pulled the basket out of my grasp and once he did, my arms pulled him back into a tight embrace. I pressed my face against his hard chest. Tears threatened to fall but for some reason, they wouldn't.

"I-It's you! Percival…I…" I choked and shuddered and his arms went back around me. His face buried in the crook of my neck, softly kissing the tender skin there.

A strange glint flashed in his eye but I couldn't see it. All I cared about now was the feel of his body against mine like so long ago.

"It's alright Janelle, I'm here…and this time I won't leave you," he whispered in my ear.

All my thoughts returned to me once he spoke again and I pushed him away, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

"Then why did you leave in the first place? Why did you leave me all alone?" I demanded, though my voice was weak.

Percival smirked, making me confused. "I didn't want to leave you. It was complicated. You know I love you Janelle, with all my heart."

His cold hands brushed against my face before holding me again and then roughly pressing his lips onto mine, like he truly meant it.

My eyes were still open from the utter shock. His lips greedily moved against my mouth. I hesitantly kissed him back, but it was strange.

It wasn't the same. The way he was kissing me…it didn't feel right. It was different. The way that he used to make me feel, was no longer there.

I don't know why…

His tongue slipped between my lips and took control over me. I shut my eyes, whimpering slightly at his forcefulness, my hand gripping on his shoulder.

He then broke the kiss briefly, looking right through me. His eyes had turned red and he slammed me against the brick wall of a building before possessing my lips again.

"Mm…Percival…s-stop…" I breathed, trying to push him off me.

Why was I so weak?

"Why should I? You're mine…I don't want to," he said between kisses.

I pushed him away again and this time he back-handed me, catching me by surprise. My eyes widened and I held my cheek, knowing that with his strength, there would be a bruise.

Percival didn't seem to be sorry though, his eyes still glowing red. "You dare try to push me away? I told you that I love you didn't I? Isn't that good enough?"

I swallowed hard, my breath coming out shaky.

"Y-You don't know what I've been through. You don't know how much pain you caused me….I…I was looking everywhere for you…"

My voice cracked but I didn't cry.

"But you never came for me. You never came when I needed you most!"

Percival growled and I gasped when he grasped the side of my arms, pinning me back against the wall. I winced feeling the pain begin to heighten.

"Damn it Janelle, it was painful for me too! I…"

He exhaled sharply.

"That day…I was _forced_ to leave. You see…my parents, they found me and they took me away before I could give a proper goodbye. I tried to fight against them as hard as I could. I didn't want to leave you!"

He was shaking me so hard, his grip on my arms too strong. I felt his fingers pressing against my bones. If it was so painful for him, why was he inflicting pain on me now?

I tried to hold back a scream as his grip continued to tighten on me, as if he never wanted me to go.

"But then…"

His voice grew darker and I could hear him chuckling bitterly. It scared me…the way he was acting.

He slowly looked back up at me after having stared at the ground. His eyes were back to their blue but a hint of red sparked in them.

"I killed them…"

My eyes widened even further and I felt fear suddenly shake me, an emotion I didn't expect to feel at reuniting with him. My mouth opened to speak but nothing came out.

He laughed that creepy laugh again, nodding his head.

"Yes Janelle…I killed my parents just for you. Then after that, I spent all that time trying to find you. I never gave up. And every single day, I only thought of you. And now…"

He kissed me roughly once again before smirking.

"You're all mine."

He then brought his lips against my neck, his tongue flicking against my cool skin. His hands went and caressed my waist, pulling my chest up against him.

"So tell me you love me Janelle…"

I was still frozen after all that he had told me. Just say it. I still love him. I did…

"Janelle?"

He looked up and when he saw that I wasn't answering him, he jabbed me in the rib. I bit my lip, trying to stay strong.

"Say it!"

"I…I do. I…love you Percival…" I managed to whisper.

I felt his mouth curl into a smirk against my skin.

"I'm so glad," he said before I felt his sharp fangs pierce me.

* * *

I felt nothing. I was completely numb. I didn't know how I did it, but I came back.

I pushed the door open, seeing the blood stained on my fingers when the light from inside hit me. I hid my body well under the cloak. The hood concealed my face and the filled basket was secure in my grasp as I quickly made my way into the kitchen.

I heard the familiar chatter of the three Phantomhive staff members working together to make preparations. When they heard me enter the door, they immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Janelle!"

"You're back!"

"We were getting so worried!"

I tried my hardest to fake a smile at their joy in seeing me and set the basket on the kitchen table. "I know…I'm really sorry that I wasn't quick enough. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"No, you don't have do that at all!" Finny blurted.

"Yeah! It's fine Janelle, in fact we still got some time to spare even though the guest is already here…."Bard replied with a grin, looking through the supplies in the basket.

But when he turned back to me, he and the others saw that I was already gone.

* * *

I don't know what was going on with me. I couldn't concentrate on anything. Next thing I knew, I had collided into someone. It was as if I was a mind-controlled puppet.

"Oh my! I'm very sorry! Are you alright?"

An Italian accent of a man entered my dulled ears and I glanced up to see that I had rudely bumped into the honorary guest.

I could feel my hood begin to slip and I immediately pulled it back on before bowing my head. "No, please forgive me. _I _should be the one apologizing. I'm so sorry."

He laughed. "Apology accepted miss. Now, who may you be?"

"Janelle!"

Ciel suddenly cut in and I warily lifted my head to see the Earl coming up from behind the man. "You're finally back. This is our guest for today."

I bowed my head at him again. "It's very nice to meet you sir."

"Why yes, but allow me to see your face. There's no need to be so shy," he insisted.

I looked up quickly, trying to avoid anyone's gaze. My eyes brushed over Ciel, who narrowed his eyes at me with suspicion. Not too long later, I saw Sebastian appearing by Ciel's side.

No…I needed to get out of here…

"M-my lord, do you mind if I'm absent from the rest of the evening plans? I'll make up for my absence I assure you…"

"Oh there's no need for that Janelle. You must be tired so you may be excused," Ciel told me, but I could sense the uncertainty in his voice.

I nodded my head, muttering my thanks before briskly walking past the guest and Ciel.

I felt a certain pair of eyes glued on me, but I sped by him without a thought, disappearing down the dark hall.

Sebastian starred off to where I had gone, curious of my weird behavior.

"Sebastian, were you not leading our guest outside?" Ciel asked.

The butler snapped out of his small daze and nodded, stepping towards the front. "Of course, shall we go then?"

The guest smiled and followed and Ciel took one last look behind him before moving.

* * *

I shut the bathroom door behind me, immediately shedding off all my clothes and letting them sink down into a heap on the marble floor. I began to turn on the bath water, letting it warm up before I slowly submerged myself, hiding the immense pain I was feeling with every move I made.

He did this to me. He_ hurt_ me. After all this time that I had spent obsessing on seeing him, wasting my time thinking about him! He was the _last _person I would've thought to do something like that to me.

And yet…I let him. I still had feelings for him.

I was nothing but a feeble marionette. My strings still attached to him.

I grabbed a small bucket and began filling it with the rushing water. Once it reached the brim, my arms shook when I tried to raise them up and the water spilled over me.

I set the bucket aside and instead, pulled my legs against my chest, waiting for the water to continue filling the tub. I rested my chin on my knees and my eyes gazed at the swirling liquid without any feeling…any emotion.

Along with the water, streams of blood began to seep from under me, mixing in to taint the purity that was no longer there.

It never was.


	12. Harsh Reality

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Ever since the previous day he knew something was wrong. She couldn't hide that from him. No matter what, he was able to see right through her, whether she liked it or not.

She wasn't there.

Sebastian entered the servant headquarters, seeing the expected worry that was on all of the staff members' faces.

"Have any of you managed to speak with Janelle? Why has she not come down?" He questioned them.

Finny and Bard merely exchanged worried glances and Mey-Rin was the one who spoke up.

"W-well…Sebastian sir…when I knocked on her door and asked her to get ready, she wouldn't answer me. I tried to ask what was wrong but she insisted that she was alright. I...I didn't feel it was right to intrude on her at that moment…"

"Bard and I tried too but she told us the same thing and that she'd come down soon," Finny added in before shrinking under Sebastian's intent gaze.

"I think there's something wrong…but maybe we're overreacting. Maybe she suddenly got sick…" Bard suggested.

"Yeah that's right! It _is _getting colder after all! I…I wouldn't blame her because _I'm_ starting to get the sniffles!" Mey-Rin shivered, though trying to shake off the fact that it could be a worse reason.

After that was said, Finny sneezed coincidentally and Tanaka let out a weak laugh, handing him a tissue which Finny took with a grin.

Sebastian sighed and turned away from their banter, exiting the room without another word. The door closing behind him caused the four to grow silent once again.

Bard quickly lit his cigarette. "Damn, I wish I were like Sebastian, going so boldly to the maiden's aid."

Finny snickered. "You _could've _just burst into her room and done something romantic. That _was_ your chance after all!"

Bard's cigarette fell out of his opened mouth at the realization, Tanaka laughing again in the background.

"DAMMIT! Now I'm _really_ mad that I didn't think of that! No!" Bard slammed his fist on the table before helplessly letting his head fall to the wooden surface.

In the next second, Bard abruptly lifted his head, revealing a red mark on his forehead.

"_Wait_ a minute."

He turned to Finny, who couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing on the floor.

"What are you trying to imply _Finny_? I don't like her that way!"

Mey-Rin sighed dreamily to herself while the boys continued fooling around behind her. "Oh…maybe I should stay outside in the cold with Finny so that _I _could get sick. What do you think Tanaka? Would Sebastian take care of me?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka simply replied and sipped his tea.

"Is that a yes or no?"

* * *

Sebastian stood outside her door, standing still for a moment. He had thought of knocking like the others had done. But seeing as that had brought up negative results, he instead decided to just let himself in.

He quietly slipped into her room and the immediate scent that entered his nose confirmed his suspicions. The smell of blood.

His red eyes caught sight of her on her bed. She was lying on her side, her arms strewn in front of her. As he approached closer, he saw that her night gown was fitted onto her loosely in a sloppy fashion. His gloved hand reached out to touch her face gently and he found that her hair clinging to her skin was strangely…wet.

He examined her lower half and finally saw where the blood was coming from. Under her lay a towel that was spread on top of the bed, seeing that it was her attempt to prevent it from staining. There were patches of blood scattered on the towel.

A pang of concern flooded through him, what on earth had happened to her?

He suddenly felt her shift slightly under him and he pulled his hand away to see her deep blue eyes begin to open.

…

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Sebastian and I was immediately shocked to see him. I gasped and weakly used the arm strength I had left to lift myself to a sitting position.

"S-Sebastian…" I blurted automatically and looked down. "I can't believe I was actually sleeping."

"Janelle, tell me, what happened." Sebastian got right to the point and I looked up to see that he was serious.

The words caught in my throat and I immediately shut down. The events from the cursed night flooded right back to me when I tried so hard to forget about it. How could I tell him? I can't.

Sebastian saw fear appearing on my face and he took hold of my arms, causing me to wince involuntarily even though he was gentle. He noticed my immediate reaction and released me right away. "I didn't mean that, but please tell me what happened to you Janelle. Why are you bleeding like this?"

I opened my mouth to say something but instead, I covered my face with my hands.

"I-I'm sorry Sebastian…I'm sorry…"

He didn't respond to me but continued to stare at me with concern.

I moved my hands down. "I…I ran into some trouble while I was out…"

He narrowed his eyes. "Who attacked you? How many were there?"

"I-It was only one person. A man. He was just giving me a hard time…" I choked out shakily.

Sebastian gazed at me solemnly. "How badly did he hurt you?"

"H-He left some bruises and…and…" I couldn't finish.

Sebastian gently took hold of my hand, trying to comfort me. "Well, at least he was just a lowly stranger whom you'll never see again. You will not be going outside alone any longer, is that clear? I'll leave now to get the med-"

He paused when he saw that I was shaking my head.

"No Sebastian…I…I knew him. And he did more than just…"

"What did he do to you Janelle? Answer me now," he repeated, tightening his hold on my hand.

I swallowed and then looked straight in his red eyes. My voice came out in a hollow whisper.

"I…was raped."

I then quickly diverted my gaze and Sebastian didn't say anything. It was silent for a moment before he let go of my hand and stood up, making his way out of my room.

I sat there, staring at nothing, not believing that I had actually said what I thought I couldn't say. In the next minute, Sebastian returned with medical supplies in his hands. He kneeled back in front of me and gently touched my shoulder.

"We can't let your wounds go untreated now can we?"

I barely nodded and then slipped off the sleeves of my robe to reveal to him the bruises that were left on my arms from Percival.

Sebastian searched through his supplies before pulling out the proper treatment. "Ah here we are. This ointment should help clear the bruising. I'll try not to hurt you too much."

I moved my arm in order for him to easily rub the substance on my skin. Before he did so, he pulled his glove off his left hand with his teeth, allowing me to see his black fingernails and a strange, intricate circular marking on the back of his hand. My distressed thoughts were briefly taken over by curiosity at seeing his uncovered hand, but were dismissed just as quickly when he drew closer to me.

"Do you mind telling me how you know this wretched man?" Sebastian boldly questioned as his eyebrows furrowed in anger, dabbing the ointment on me.

"He…was my past fiancé," I told him the truth. There was no use in hiding it from him anyway.

He frowned. "That's a strange coincidence…and it makes no sense that he would do such a thing."

"I know. I would tell you the whole story…but right now…I..."

"I understand. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters," Sebastian replied.

He finished up with my arms and then I hesitated before revealing the other wounds.

"Normally, all my wounds would've been healed already. But I guess since this case is different…I actually slept to gain my strength…" I said before unbuttoning my night gown to show a part of my chest.

Sebastian's eyes widened slightly when he saw that there were bite marks on me. His fingers touched my chest. "These don't look like human bite marks. Is that man a vampire too?"

I nodded. "He was the one who turned me into one."

Sebastian looked at me with amusement. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I _was _human before…"

"Well that makes sense now. He's the one who changed you so considering that fact, your wounds would naturally heal slower," Sebastian said in thought before wiping the medicine on the bites.

I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that his hand was practically touching my breast. My cheeks flushed again at the thought.

He saw my reaction and immediately smirked. "I apologize. I honestly didn't think I'd have to do this twice," he said that with clear amusement in his voice.

"And I didn't mean to trouble you like this…That's why I thought I could sleep it off and try to heal more quickly. But instead…"

"Don't say that. It's not your fault," Sebastian replied.

Not too long later, he asked me where else I was wounded. I reluctantly mentioned the bruises on my back, worrying over the scars that I didn't want anyone to see but he insisted, telling me that there'd be no point in stopping there.

I bit my lip as his hand gently trailed down my back before he announced that he was done, moving back around to me.

"All that's left now is that towel, if you would please?"

I moved over and grabbed the towel, feeling shameful at how much of my blood was on it.

"I could wash it myself Sebastian, you don't have to-"

"It's alright. Don't bother yourself with little things like this." He gave a small smile and took it from me, folding it in his arms.

As I watched him, the last thing that I had almost forgotten popped in my mind and I carefully reached behind me to grab his handkerchief off the dresser.

"Here you go Sebastian. I'm sorry I didn't give this to you earlier."

He smiled and took it from me, staring at it for a while before meeting my gaze.

"I'm back," I said, trying to sound cheery but I knew he wouldn't buy it.

His red eyes captured mine and he stepped toward me, bending over. His hand touched the side of my head and his face inched closer, letting me feel his faint body warmth.

He didn't break his gaze and in his eyes, I could see that there was a hint of pity in them. Or was it sadness? Either way, it looked like he wanted to do something more, deciding within him on what he should do.

What more could he do? He's done enough for me, I didn't deserve anymore of his kindness. I appreciated everything he did. No one would ever go so far for me…

In the end, he shut his eyes for a second before moving away, letting his hand fall from my head.

"Well, you shouldn't be working today. You should be in bed so you can heal."

I frowned. "Are you sure? I'm sure that I could still do something."

"No, I urge you to stay here and rest. That's the most important thing you need right now. Don't worry; those three rascals can handle their chores for today at least." He smiled at me again and then pulled back the bed sheets, helping me under the covers.

"I'm sorry…I promise I'll make it up to all of you…" I replied sadly.

He looked at me. "Oh honestly Janelle, stop apologizing and rest. There's nothing you need to fret over. All I want is for you to get better and so do the others. I'm sure the Young Master wouldn't mind either for this matter."

"Thank you so much Sebastian. You always make me feel better," I said instead.

He looked at me, patted my bedside and then exited the room. He glanced back one last time before closing the door.

…

On his way down the hall, he looked down at his handkerchief and saw that it was completely spotless, whereas his gloved hand was stained from her blood.

But instead of feeling bothered like he usually would, a different emotion set over him. He clenched his hand, not liking the fact that these _human _feelings were beginning to toy with him.

Despicable, disgusting…and yet...

He was allowing it.

* * *

_He got himself off of me, looking at me with the undying lust in his eyes as he wiped my blood from his lips. I lay there on the hard ground with my clothes pulled open enough for him to see what he wanted._

_My eyes watered. Cold blood seeped out of the bite wounds he had inflicted on me and the side of my legs were soaked in it. _

_He then kneeled down; his lips close to my ears. "I'll be back for you Janelle. Don't think I don't know where you've been recently…"_

_What? He can't, he wouldn't try anything…_

_"P-Please don't go there…don't hurt-" I tried to say but he shushed me, covering my mouth with his hand. _

_"Remember who you belong to Janelle. You don't belong to anyone else but me."_

…

Liar. He was a filthy dirty liar. I should've known.

He told me he wouldn't leave and yet, he had left me there to bleed once again.

Still, after all that, I still wanted to believe that when he told me he loved me, he had truly meant it. That all the pain and suffering he caused me was just his twisted way of showing that he cared.

Those questions I had asked him were still unanswered. The way he responded wouldn't do any justice in my mind.

Did he really spend his time looking for me like I did? Did he really think of me every moment of the day like I did?

I buried myself under the sheets, resting my head on the pillow and closing my eyes.

He had turned into a deceiving monster and it was too late. The one I knew was gone. Like a distant childhood fantasy.

Then why, why am I still relentlessly attached?

* * *

_Six years ago_

I hated them. I hated how they were restricting me. They were keeping me caged, unable to go free without their consent. Sometimes I wondered. Would they ever let me go?

They didn't approve of him. They saw something that I didn't see at that time. I was blinded by immature love. I didn't see past what I thought was my own 'Prince Charming'.

The only thing important in my life was him. I didn't think I would ever face my miracle but he was the one. Like some kind of shooting star that soared into my sky. He was my wish. My angel.

Nothing, _nothing _would get in the way between me and him.

That included the biggest obstacle-my parents.

I didn't care what it took to get to him.

"JANELLE!" My father's voice boomed angrily, banging his fist on the door.

My dad was incredibly strong, with every pound he made, it seemed to shake my room and I was almost afraid that he'd crash right in.

_But I ignored it._ A ravenous anger that took hold of my mind that day engulfed me completely. My hands furiously took all my clothes, the essential items and stuffed them furiously into my bag, not caring that things were falling or breaking.

"JANELLE! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW! WE'RE NOT DONE TALKING TO YOU!" My father roared again, jiggling the door knob.

I didn't know if I had gotten everything I needed, but it didn't matter. Either way, I _had _to get out of here.

I finally opened the door when he least expected it and when I did, I marched right out there without stopping.

"Where do you think you're going?!" he shouted, grabbing my arm.

His grip was strong but so was my determination. I turned to him with a piercing glare.

"Let me go! You can't stop me! I can't stand it here anymore!"

My statement shocked him and his grip unconsciously loosened, allowing me to yank free and race down the stairs.

"Janelle! Get back here!" My father yelled, stomping after me.

I collided into my mother at the end of the stairs and she caught sight of my bag.

"What are you doing Janelle? Don't tell me you're thinking of-"

"Stop it _maman_, I'm leaving!" I roughly moved past her, making my way to the door.

"You're being absolutely ridiculous Janelle! Why would you do this? You intend to run away when you're only 16? I won't allow you to!" My mother tried to stop me, trying to take my arm back but every time I'd shake her off.

I faced her angrily, slapping her hand away. "You won't allow me to do anything! Neither of you would!"

"Because it's for your own good Janelle! And I swear if you set one foot outside that door, you will be nothing to us!" My father bellowed, pointing a shaking finger at me.

There was no doubt that my father was furious, but in his eyes that day, I saw that they were glazed with tears that threatened to fall. _I was a monster to drive my dad to tears, but I was too lost to see it._

My mother began muttering to herself in French and father tried to reach for me again.

"Janelle, please…that boy-"

"You don't know anything about him! You never gave him a chance! I don't ever want to be separated from him. I…I love him more than anything!" I shouted, moving away.

"You love that boy more than you do us?" My mother cried, her voice trembling to stay strong.

_I should've dropped my bags right there. I should've erased all that I had said and run into their arms, telling them that I'm just so stupid and that I didn't mean it at all._

_But I said the worst thing._

"I do…and I no longer want to be a daughter of such…pathetic fools!" I spat at their face.

I turned away for the last time, but not without seeing my parents' distraught faces, a tear finally escaping down my father's cheek.

"Janelle!" I heard them shout once I had wrenched open the door and ran out of what I thought was hell.

Running as fast as I could and not looking back once, I thought I could still hear their voices. Still calling my name no matter how far I was.

I passed the people I've known since I was born, their eyes showing confusion, shouting my name but never reaching me. Dashing past places where patches of my childhood memories were stored, unknowingly running into the darkness. My life was slipping right through my fingers and I was throwing it away like it was nothing.

I kept running with a fast beating heart. I had tried my hardest to rip my parents out of my mind and block out their voices. They would become non-existent to me for a very long time. Back then, I wanted to forget them forever.

When I finally saw his face, at the place where he promised we'd meet, I did forget them. They were gone. I didn't think about them once.

"Percival!" I cried, jumping into his outstretched arms. Losing myself in those blue eyes I loved so much. My fingers tangled in his brown hair.

"I'm so glad you made it," he whispered in my ear, sending chills throughout my body.

He then took my hand, that simple action signaling the start of the long and hard journey alone. It was only us.

"I didn't tell my parents anything. I just escaped here," he told me. "We're finally free Janelle."

_He loves me._

_He loves me not._

"Well…they know. But I ran away, I don't care. I just want to be with you…" I said, pressing the side of my face against his arm.

"It's going to be alright Janelle. I promise. It's just you and me now. I'll always be with you, no matter what," he said, his words echoing in my ears.

I smiled; nothing could've made me happier that day. I was so happy.

"It's us against the world Janelle."

_I was so blind…_

* * *

_Four years ago_

I knew what he was ever since we met. I knew that he wasn't human, but it was one of the things that I loved most about him. It was because he was different and I felt special that _I_ was the one who had him.

The two years since that day were the hardest as it was a struggle for the two of us to get by in the cruel world. A cruel world that taught me many things…

But at the same time, it didn't seem so bad because I was with him, my only one…the light that guided me in the darkness when I was alone.

We went through it all together through thick in thin for those next two years.

18. We did it. We were able to get a place of our own to live in. I was so proud and I felt like shouting to the world of our victory. You see? We were able to survive on our own! It wasn't so hard!

_I should've thought again._

I was scared at first. Everything was so new to me. But every time, he was by my side and reassured me that nothing bad would happen.

All my firsts were with him. That one night…

_That dark night…_

…with him brought it all to the next level. But I was still such a child in my mind.

That was also the time when he finally broke the ice to me.

I lay there next to him, secure in his arms. I had felt different. Instead of a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach, I felt empty. I didn't know why but I didn't pay any mind. It didn't seem like a big deal to me.

_It's because he's nothing but a good-for-nothing backstabber. You shouldn't have done it._

"You know I…"

Everything he was saying to me seemed like a dream. It happened to me and I didn't even think twice of my foolish decision. I was drunk on what I thought was true love.

"Would you…"

Of course I would, why on earth would I think of saying no to him?

_You should have._

"Then will you do something for me?"

I would do anything. I didn't care what it takes…

"If you want to be with me forever, I need you to sacrifice something…"

I nodded eagerly for him to continue.

"I need you to forget your old life, like it never existed. I want to change you."

I didn't listen to my conscience telling me to think it over. My mouth had a mind of its own, giving me the automatic answer.

"You and I will be the same."

That's what I wanted this whole time-to be one and the same.

"Yes…just do it. I want to be with you…no one else," I had said blissfully.

_I was so wrong._

I didn't see the hidden evilness that was buried so well in his eyes and beneath his words.

He didn't hesitate one bit. He moved my hair away from my neck. He stared down at me like an animal ready to devour its prey.

Something like a large knife embedded deep in my neck. It seemed like it was plunging right through my throat. Poison seeped into my veins, rushing to take complete control. It possessed me.

He was relentless. He was thirsty. This was what he wanted the most.

I died that night, reborn into something new-a beast just like him.

_Yet I felt like I died completely. I'm not alive right now._

I didn't know that the two years that would follow…would be the end of me…of us.

At 18, I was a newborn vampire.

But at 20…

Everything turned upside down till I was falling into nothing but…

_Black._


	13. Monochrome

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

_Two years ago_

It was harder than I had thought.

I was like a leech, thirsting for blood every single moment.

In the back of mind, I was beginning to realize the regret that was coming with what I had so willingly gave up. But every time I saw his face, those ill feelings would immediately vanish into thin air. With him, I was able to pull through as if it wasn't a problem at all.

But it was all merely a building block of what would soon bury me alive and I refused to see it.

_I didn't realize that Percival was hiding something from me, hiding his true emotions. The true him that he had been concealing behind the persona I was falling for, in more ways than one._

_Such a fool I was. A fool I still am._

Percival had been growing distant from me. Before I could even comprehend, I was getting burned out of his mind. His soul was moving on, so quickly like the wind.

_But I did notice. I had asked why._

"You worry too much. We _are_ going through with it. Nothing's going to change my mind…"

He smiled, but it was false. His 'honest' eyes fooled me again. As usual, my thoughts were brushed aside and I believed him.

Still with each passing day, the two years that went by since that night, he was drifting further and further along with my conscience which I had stubbornly pushed aside. I didn't want to believe that he was fading.

Denial had me locked in its cold iron grasp.

…

Then finally, the day had come. It was a day that was special, glorious, and a girl's ultimate dream in life.

Wasn't I supposed to be happy? Wasn't I supposed to feel loved? I was the bride after all, moments from exchanging vows with my sole purpose of living.

Yes. But, on that day…I didn't feel like a bride should feel at all.

Despite what he told me, I was worried and scared.

Why wasn't he there? He told me he'd be here. He promised. Something important came up, but was it more important that being here…with me?

I stood in that altar alone. No one would be attending like we planned. We didn't need anyone, just us as it had been for so long.

Dead silence. Anxiety was rising but I kept holding on to my faith. I glanced to the side, seeing the stained glass, the colorful mural, and the gold-rimmed mirror on the side. There I could see my present emotions drawn all over my face.

The changes were apparent: the pale skin, heightened senses and reflexes, and speed and endurance. Whenever I was thirsty, my eyes would change to that eerie crimson.

But despite all that, everything else remained. Eyes that he always thought reflected the ocean. Fuchsia colored hair that was short back then, reaching just above my shoulders.

I was still me.

The dress I was wearing was the typical white. It was lacy around my chest but wasn't too exaggerated. The short sleeves clung to my arms rather than my shoulders. Its length was long, enough to drag about two feet behind me.

Overall, it wasn't fancy but to me, it was enough.

I clutched the white roses I had in my hands. The veil hovered over my head, waiting for him to uncover it. Yet time dragged on, leaving him behind. He still didn't come.

Everything was backwards. I wasn't supposed to be the one waiting.

As I stared forlornly at the untainted petals, the church bells rang in long drones. The way it sounded seemed to express the emptiness I was beginning to feel at that moment.

"Miss Janelle?"

I lifted my head, turning expectedly but only to see that it was the pastor with the bible in his hand. I should've known it wouldn't be him.

I didn't reply; my eyes did all the answering.

He looked at me, struggling with what to say at first.

"Janelle, is there a reason why your groom has not arrived?"

I was struggling with that question myself. He had been anticipating this day just as I had. It was impossible that he'd just abruptly…

"Do you think perhaps….something had happened to him?"

My eyes widened at that possibility. Could someone have suddenly attacked him? Or worse…

"Did he ever tell you anything curious beforehand?"

He promised me…He promised…

My whole body suddenly grew numb. Oh no, could it be…? Perhaps his parents…did they get a hold of him?

The pastor gasped in surprise when I suddenly ripped off my veil and dropped the roses to the ground. I grabbed the sides of my dress and ran down the aisle, heading straight out the double doors. His voice called my name, echoing throughout the altar but I didn't turn back once. The church bells continued to ring while I ran, running as fast as I could.

For the first time, I was utilizing the power he had given me and not a moment later, I was standing in front of our home, panting heavily and making my way up the stone steps.

I burst my way through the door, my eyes darting rapidly throughout the house. I searched through all the rooms, calling out his name, thinking of other places where he could possibly be.

Then, just as I was about to leave, an unopened letter caught the corner of my eye. My hand reached out for it, wondering why I hadn't seen it earlier. I looked around and hastily found a stray knife left on a dirty plate, using it to cut straight through the envelope. Still clutching the knife, I immediately began reading the letter.

_Janelle…_

Don't say it.

_This isn't going to work…_

…W-what?

_..can't be with you anymore…_

_…don't want to be with you…_

_…it wouldn't be forever…_

What was he saying? What did he mean by all this? He had to be lying. He's lying!

_…my feelings for you no longer exist…._

_…nothing to me… _

_…don't care…._

Then what was it all those years? He didn't care? He didn't love me?

_…I never want to see you again…_

_…you don't have a place in my life…_

_…forget about me…_

My hands were trembling. My whole body was shaking. I could barely keep myself standing. My vision was getting blurry. My eyes read over the words repeatedly because I couldn't believe it. I was experiencing an earthquake and it was only affecting me.

Please…this can't be true…Percival, why are you saying this? Why all of a sudden? I don't understand!

_…you're worthless…_

_…a waste of my time…_

_…you're a fool…_

_….you do nothing but…_

_Disgust me._

No…no…no…

_I'm already gone._

My head was spinning. The barriers were crashing down. It was getting colder already. It was no longer warm.

The words he wrote continually rotated in my mind. Each one pronounced so clearly, taking complete control.

My body took on a mind of its own. My hand clenched the paper. My ears dulled and I only heard my unstable breathing. I raced out of the house, leaving everything behind and aiming for one place, one thing, and one person.

He can't leave me….he can't leave me alone, not when I need him most!

I was already losing it. The mere fact that he was going to be nonexistent in my life was killing me with each step I was taking. No one mattered. I didn't care about anyone else! He had known that and now he was turning his back on me.

A weak, lost animal beginning to lose its sanity. My legs led me to the forest where he always took me, the hidden parts that revolved around only us. The cold earth met with my bare feet, my shoes escaping me long ago. Rocks and twigs cut into my flesh. Trees and branches snagged on my only wedding dress, ripping the ends and leaving jagged hems.

I didn't keep track of how long I was running, but it felt like eternity. Even though my speed was not of a human anymore, it felt even slower, like time was preventing me from getting to him.

Then finally, when my legs found the center of the forest, they stopped, allowing me to see the vacant darkness that surrounded me.

The clouds in the sky were overcast, emitting light through a space between the trees overheard. But it was not bright, making everything seem gray. Black and white.

"Percival…"

My voice finally broke free through the heavy silence.

"Percival…Percival!"

The distress was clear in my voice. The panic was catching up.

"Percival!"

I cried his name over and over. But my useless calling was thrown back at me. No answer.

At that moment, something cracked. Something snapped. I just let it all out.

A scream erupted from my throat, expanding to other parts of the vast forest. I sank to my knees and the tears exploded out of my eyes, streaming relentlessly down my face. The walls crumbled inside me and unleashed an unstoppable wave of the emotions I had held back all this time.

_Do you see now? I wish you could see…_

The piercing ache lingered on and on. I cried and I kept crying for as long as this wave would continue. My sobs filled the silence but didn't fill the gaping hole that was waiting for me to fall. I couldn't see anything, completely blurred by the oncoming water that flooded relentlessly.

I leaned over in my despair, my body trembling with the unstable breakdown that took control. That was when I noticed I was still hanging on to his letter in my left hand. In my right was the knife I had used to open it.

My blurred eyes glanced at his handwriting, tears smudging the inky script when the words repeated in my head again.

My eyes darted to the knife and my distraught mind was able to register at least one thing at that moment. The one thing that would set me to peace at last.

My fingers tightened their grip on the blade and I lifted it up, the gray light glistening against the sharp edge.

His voice entered my mind again. I'm worthless.

Without any hesitation, I stabbed my left arm as deep as I could. I didn't shriek when I saw my blood instantly spill down the pale skin. But fear grew inside me when I saw that the wound was closing up just as I had taken the knife out.

No! I'm nothing!

I stabbed myself again, as many times as I could. Blood splattered on my face, all over the dirt ground but the end result was not what I wanted. I was healing quickly, all because of him. He was preventing me from gaining my one true wish.

I'm a fool! I do nothing but disgust him!

I began stabbing my other arm, the thick liquid dripping off me. Not only tears, but droplets of the dark crimson stained the crumpled letter. Large splotches tainted the white innocence that was my dress, never being able to see happiness. Red against white. _Oh…It just needed a final unforgettable touch…_

Slice. Stab. Deep, lethal wounds. Healing again.

Let me disappear like he had…

My arms thudded to the ground, the healing process beginning to slow but only slightly. I watched the wounds closing up again, but the blood remained, coating my skin entirely in its color. I dragged my soaked fingers to the side of my face, leaving a dark red trail and staring intensely at the knife that was also stained.

If he was gone...then so was I.

With the last amount of strength I could muster, the knife plunged deep inside the left side of my chest, piercing where my heart resided without mercy. I pushed it in as far as it could go, no, further if at all.

Blood spilled down my breast, trailing down my stomach, reaching my legs. White turning red. My body finally fell to the ground, into the darkness.

In front of me, I could see my bloody arm sprawled to the side, along with something wet and cold spreading from under me.

No warmth existed in me anymore. The monster he had turned me into made me cold as ice. It was only getting colder. It was unbearable.

There was pain in what I had done, but nothing compared to how he had abandoned me in this state.

The last few tears spilled across the bridge of my nose, my eyes growing heavy.

Everything was seeping out of me, the blade protruding in my chest and accompanying me to death. If I could finally rest at last, than perhaps I would be happy. Despite everything, the afterlife was where I belonged.

…

…

I was breathing.

I could feel.

There was warmth.

Alive…

I'm alive…

I'm alive?

No…

NO!

My eyes snapped open, not staring at nothing but seeing something. A ceiling, I was in a house, no a cabin? Why am I here? This is not where I should be!

I lifted myself from the strangely soft surface and sat straight up, expecting pain but receiving none. I patted my chest, my dress was still on. Stained, ripped, dirty. But the knife…it was no longer there.

Someone had saved me and took me away from achieving my happiness.

A surge of energy began to rumble inside my body. A strong and vicious energy, a feeling much greater than anger that I eagerly let overcome me.

I ripped off the quilt that was laid upon me and smelled the air, picking up scents of firewood, meat, and the blood of a human.

"Oh! You're awake!"

A man's voice entered my ears and I whipped around to see his form. He was tall. He looked kind. A warm smile was on his face. But in his eyes, I could see his age, see the loneliness he was experiencing and the rough life he had long set aside.

The viciousness inside me calmed down for a spell…

I wasn't exactly hearing what he was saying, but he led me over near the flickering fireplace, sitting me down on a wooden stool. At the moment he was preparing something for us to eat. Something to devour…

My eyes were blank, gazing straight into the bright flames. Would it take me to hell if I immersed myself long enough?

"….I heard screaming and crying….I didn't see who had tried to murder you….You was bleeding so much, there was a pool of it! Thank god I found you in time…I was afraid you wouldn't survive…"

The murderer? He had innocently let the murderer enter his sanctum.

"It's strange though…the wounds you had were completely healed! I wonder…"

My attention was immediately diverted when something delectable caught my nose. I turned my head and found that he was holding up a piece of meat, dripping blood and about to be cooked.

Before he could say another word, my hand snatched the bleeding meat from his hand and I instantly sunk my fangs into the flesh, sucking up as much blood as it held.

The man looked at me horrified, having seen the sharp incisors.

"You…You're…"

My eyes caught his and he gasped, seeing how they were as red as the fluid I lusted for.

He approached me, something I didn't expect. His face came right in front of me, gazing at me with fear and curiosity at the same time.

"A…a vampire! I…I never…in all my years, I had never thought I would ever come across such a being. I…I thought they didn't exist!"

I tossed the meat to the side, looking like a complete beast with the blood on my mouth. He stared at me for the longest time and I didn't know why. But I did know that I could smell the scent of _his _blood from up close. It was delicious…I wouldn't be able to restrain myself.

It seemed that he had been pondering over his thoughts for the past moment. Knowing how incredibly thirsty I was, he kneeled closer to me.

"If you want…drink my blood…"

My tongue ran along my fangs. He was willing to allow himself to be eaten by a lowly beast?

He smiled at me. "Go ahead, do it."

Seeing that he was giving me permission, my hands latched onto his shoulders and I bit into his throat, deeper than I had wanted. His blood overflowed in my mouth and I hungrily drank it all, some escaping from my lips and dribbling down my chin.

At one point, I felt him breathing. But in the next second, his breathing turned into desperate gasping. I had felt him begin to slip away but I couldn't control myself. The vampire side of me had no mercy for its prey and in a short time, the victim would be dead.

His body slumped over, growing heavier and at once, my fangs released his neck, letting him fall face down to the ground.

My eyes widened, changing back to normal. My hand came up to my mouth, shaking in horror at what I had done.

I killed him…I killed an innocent man who had saved my life!

I never dreamed I would take someone's life besides my own and yet, I had committed the act for the first time.

Is this the being that he had turned me into? A blood-sucking murderer?

My breath quickened at the rising fear of what I had let myself do.

That was what I had truly become, murdering for my greatest desire.

Was that what he wanted from me all along? Was that why he sought me out in the first place?

I collapsed to the floor once again, kneeling beside the man. Breaking out into sobs for the final time…

His blood lingered on my tongue. It would linger on my hands forever.

…

Day was breaking through the sky. The sun was beginning to rise. I saw the few rays of light peeking through from six feet under. I had been digging the pit with my bare hands all night without stopping.

His body lay next to the hole as I leaped out of the pit, pulling myself back to the surface and dusting the dirt from my hands.

I knelt by the man's side, taking his hands and clasping them together over his chest. I stared at his face, not understanding why he looked peaceful when he had experienced such a cruel death.

I then took him gently in my arms and approached the pit, once again descending into what would be his grave. I set him onto the fresh earth before climbing back out and taking the unused shovel, quickly filling in the dark abyss.

This was the least I could do. There was no way I would disgrace him by leaving him without a proper burial.

I patted the dirt, making a flat surface before setting one large boulder onto it and wild flowers I had scoured for in the dark of the night.

I stood over the grave I had managed to make for him. There were no more tears that fell. It was all dried out, along with any more emotions. They had long since seeped out of me.

I walked forward, but not before looking back at his cabin which would now be empty. The last of the smoke from the dead fire rose out of the wooden chimney, sailing up to join his soul in heaven.

My hands were sore and blackened with dirt. My arms, face, and hair were smudged with dried blood. The blood decorated my once fairy tale gown, becoming nothing but a ragged memory of what it used to be.

My eyes held no life, blank as the overcast sky.

I had unfortunately survived a massacre, one that I had created for myself.

I turned away from the cabin, this small patch of my life becoming one of my biggest regrets. I walked forward on bare feet, heading to a road of more danger and destruction.

I had believed that someday, he would return for me. I wouldn't give up on him. He would save me from being completely enveloped by the monster that haunted me.

From that day forth, I vowed that I would never speak. Never utter a word.

I was able to accomplish that, for the next two years of fear and darkness before bringing me to where I resided now.

Surprisingly, into a better place…without him.


	14. Heavy Heart

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I pulled up both sleeves on my arms, gazing at the white jagged scars going all along both of my wrists and forearm. I took my right hand and traced a finger down one of the scars, feeling the faint roughness and recalling the same emotions as before.

_These are two years old, now completely healed. But, it still hurts._

I sat on the edge of the bed, my eyes wandering to the window. The full moon shined through and cast a dreamy glow into my room.

It was tempting. My body was coaxing me to join the outside. Oh, there wouldn't be any harm. It was in the odd hours, deep in the middle of the night. No one would notice.

Well…at least not the _humans._

With that reminder in mind, I got off the bed but stumbled, realizing that it was still quite painful to walk. Instead of going out the door, I went over to the window, opening it up and looking down to see that the ground wasn't too far off.

The cold night breeze blew past me. My hair brushed against my face while I readied myself on the windowsill, getting a firm stance before leaping to the grass below.

My landing wasn't too graceful like I wanted. My feet gave out and caused me to fall over. I winced, feeling the pain shooting up through my body. I lay there on the ground for a moment, rolling onto my back and allowing it to subside. Meanwhile, something cold landed on my cheek. My eyes were closed as my hand reached up to find that it was snow. I opened my eyes to see the flakes sailing down to the earth like tiny specks of cotton.

I slowly got back on my feet, the iciness stinging underneath. I began limping forward, towards the back of the Phantomhive mansion. Once there, I saw the vast garden getting covered in snow, making everything look white and pure. I kept on moving at my frigid pace with the snowflakes beginning to collect in my hair and on my shoulders.

I stopped for a moment, staring off into the distance to see the dark woodlands nearby. Again, something inside me wanted to go in there and lose myself once again.

When I took a step forward, something nudged my back. I gasped and quickly turned around, only to see Pluto in his human form, staring at me intensely and wondering what I was doing. In the moonlight, he looked somehow innocent, as if he could be just as lost as I was.

A small smile managed to break free and I reached a hand out to pet his head. He closed his eyes and I could hear him let out a low growl of approval. He approached me and nuzzled himself against my stomach. I blinked at his sudden move of affection and hesitantly let my hands rest softly on his back.

After a while, I let him go and turned around, facing the woods once again. I made a move to go on but Pluto stopped me again, pulling on my night gown. I looked back and saw that he was grinning at me, his fangs sticking out on the sides of his mouth like a child.

My eyes softened at his cute demeanor and I placed a finger to my lips, signaling him to be silent.

_Don't worry, I'll be back._

Pluto's grin disappeared when he saw me turn around again. I thought I heard him whimper but I was already off before he could do anything more.

This time I ignored the pain that I was still experiencing. I broke out of my limp and attempted to walk, approaching the forest that called out for me. But soon enough, that walk became a faster pace and next thing I knew, I was running.

Everything around me was a blur as I passed by, running at my highest speed. My mind began to wander and the pieces of my past rewound in my head.

Percival lied the whole time. He was a fake. I was nothing to him.

I could hear my breathing take a calm rhythm, the freezing winds whipping against my body.

He didn't leave me because he was forced to. He left for a deeper, crueler purpose. I knew now the reason why he had drifted away.

Something moved in the corner of my eye and I skidded to a halt, resting a hand on a tree. The adrenaline was vanishing and now my body bent over with the pain that was quickly returning.

Percival had sought someone else…

I trudged forward, using the trees as support and peering behind one to see what I had spotted.

I was just something he could come back to whenever he wanted. A plaything. His toy.

Not too far away from me, a lone deer was standing in the clearing. Its head rose up to the sky, its dark black eyes catching the moon. I gazed at the animal, hypnotized by its peaceful state. My feet padded forward when its hooves moved first. My steps made no sound whatsoever. The deer was oblivious to my presence.

_He smiled at me, his blue eyes locking with mine. His cold fingers delicately brushed my hair aside from my neck, staring hungrily at the skin he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into._

_"Will it hurt?" I whispered, a little afraid._

_"No Janelle, don't worry. Just relax."_

A twig snapped under my foot and the deer's ears perked up, finally realizing its predator. It turned its head at me, its eyes wide before turning and sprinting ahead. I hissed and broke out into a run as well, dodging trees and easily meeting up with it. Before it could swerve in a different direction, I leaped forward and took hold of its body, tumbling to the ground by the collision.

The deer struggled desperately against my grip, putting up a good fight. But I used my strength to suppress it; my eyes glued to its neck where I knew a beating pulse lied.

_His lips ghosted over my neck, letting his tongue drag along my skin. I felt a pang of pleasure when he did that._

My mouth neared the animal's throat, fangs bared in its vicious glory.

_But in the next second, all pleasure was cast aside as if it were an illusion. The only thing that took hold of me now was an excruciating pain, worse than being burned alive._

My fangs sunk into the deer's thick throat, piercing through the layer of fur and skin until they were embedded inside its flesh. The deer's struggling instantly began to weaken, its legs slowing down from thrashing about.

_A scream had escaped me but Percival clamped a hand over my mouth, muffling the blood-curdling cries. My body began to shake violently as the burning sensation was surging through my veins. There was no mercy, no turning back. He moved around, pinning me down with his body to keep me still, his fangs latched in my neck._

_How much longer? How much more of this living hell?_

_He didn't even hold my hand. Never whispered comforting words into my ear. There was no sympathy. No love._

_There was just lust. It was only for his satisfaction._

_My heart stopped._

The deer's movements came to a halt as I was feeding on its life force_. _The thick blood flooded my mouth and I was hearing the sounds of my swallowing once again-the gulps of a ravenous monster. The crimson liquid seeped down the corner of my mouth, trailing down to my neck. Along with it, something else flowed down my cheeks.

It was no longer dormant. The floodgates were cracking, after those years of silence trying to build a stronger wall. Heavy brick by brick. But now, all those efforts were wasted. It was no good to keep it all inside.

Quiet tears crawled down my frozen skin, mixing in with the blood that dripped down to the frosty ground.

Spots of red and tears melted through the thin layer of ice on the forest floor.

I trembled, both from the winter cold and the new found sobs that shook my body. I kept fulfilling my thirst, continuing with my role as a vampire.

_How many times was he going to hurt me? How many times was he going to lie?_

_It hurt me, even when he told me it wouldn't. _

_An unending cycle that I kept getting myself into-wasn't it getting old?_

I released the lifeless body of the deer, setting it aside next to me. The rest of the blood spilled into the frozen earth. I grasped my head, pulling my legs up close and leaning my back against the rough surface of a tree. My vision blurred. I didn't bother cleaning the blood from my mouth. Nor did I bother removing the tears from my face.

The snowfall was getting thicker. More snow coated my legs, arms, and head. It covered everything around me: my dead prey, the ground and trees.

_I can't go through with it anymore._

Maybe if I sat here for as long as I could, the snow would envelop me, create a burial for me as I slowly die.

…

He knew where she had gone. He knew exactly where she was.

Anger rose inside him. What had gone through her head? She was quickly becoming a burden with the silly games she was playing. This was not something he had to waste his time on, especially at this ridiculous hour.

No…

That was a lie.

It was just something to conceal the worry that was constantly bugging him. Teasing him about how he was feeling.

He abhorred these useless emotions. This was not the reason why he was here mingling with these bothersome humans.

Nevertheless, he didn't hesitate on going after her, his incredible speed easily taking him to his destination. He halted in his tracks when he smelled her scent. But yet again, accompanied with blood?

He walked on, his eyes having no trouble seeing where he was going until finally, he found her. He had almost let his anger subside when he saw her horrific state. A mutilated deer was strewn on the icy forest ground. Blood was splattered on the snow. She was sitting there, as frozen as the tree she lay against. Her head rested on her knees.

He came closer.

…

I barely heard the sound of light footsteps approaching me. I didn't flinch, but inside, a pang of panic shot through me. Please don't tell me it's him.

I used to want to see him so badly. But now, I _feared_ seeing him.

The footsteps stopped right in front of me. I shivered, readying myself to face who I knew I'd see. He found me, there was no doubt. Here to use me for his pleasure…

I slowly lifted my head, my eyes looking into this person's face.

Percival?

…It wasn't him. I was wrong.

Those devilish red eyes glowered down at me. His raven black hair flowed softly with the wind. His tall figure clothed in nothing but black.

Sebastian.

The expression on his face wasn't pleasant. I should've expected as much. He looked serious. Mad. Obviously, I was in for trouble.

But instead of feeling intimidated or cowering in fear like I should in the presence of a demon, I was relieved. The heavy weight in my chest was lessening.

When he kneeled down to my level, my breathing came to a halt. His red eyes pierced through my brain, I almost thought he could read my mind. The rising anger that was resonating from him, I could feel it. Unconsciously, tears began to leak out of me again. I didn't mean to cry in his presence.

He saw the liquid that crawled down my cheeks and I saw a hint of something else in his eyes. His gloved hand barely touched the side of my face and before he could speak the words he had in mind, his eyes widened in shock.

I had thrown my arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. The tears continued and I rested my forehead against his shoulder. I didn't know what had gone through me to do that. But it was on impulse, something that forced me to move without thinking.

…

His mouth opened slightly, his eyes unblinking. That was something he hadn't expected and at first, he thought of pushing her away. How dare she foist herself on him without his permission, he would've done something cruel. He was furious, the demon that he was demanded that he reject her.

However in the end, he chose to ignore it all. He let out a soft sigh and gave in, wrapping his arms around her. To see a woman, to see _her_ shed tears, there was no use in wasting energy in fury. But, perhaps, comfort would suffice for now.

…

I felt myself being pressed closer into his firm body. His slim arms were indeed strong, and they grasped me securely against him. My chin now rested on his shoulder, the tears lessening. I was still shaking from the overflowing emotions but he hushed me, caressing my back gently. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself as well.

It was alright. The one I thought I loved, he wasn't here. Only this other man, the divine butler of the Phantomhives was here. A beautiful demon in disguise, the one who always seemed to be there at my most vulnerable moments, stayed.

His arms began to loosen on me and I slipped away from him, as did he. When I looked at his face again, I no longer saw anger. His expression was normal and I saw a smile setting on his face, igniting a tiny spark inside me. He was even more extravagant in the moonlight.

His hand reached into his coat pocket and he took out the handkerchief that I had returned to him, using it to wipe the tears from my face and the blood off my lips. He did this all with the utmost care, keeping his mannerism intact towards a lady.

As he finished, he stood up, dusting off his trousers before lending his hand for me to take, that smile still there. My cold hand rose up and rested in his gloved hands, which incased me in warmth-something I hadn't felt for so long and I didn't remember when the last time was.

He helped me up to my feet and from there, he kept his grip on my hand, leading me forward and back towards the mansion.

My feet were numb and healing from the scratches they had attained. I limped but I did my best to keep up with his strides. Traces of blood were left behind in my tracks. But all that didn't matter. I could deal with it now that someone took the time to come for me.

…

Sebastian noticed her efforts to keep up. He saw that she was still concealing her pain and moving on like nothing was wrong. To hell with that, no matter how hard she tried, there was nothing that he didn't know through her actions.

His hand clenched hers for a second. An idea lit inside his mind. Before when he was tending to her wounds, he had stopped himself from going through with it. It was wrong for him to do, especially since she was obviously caught up with an unexplained past.

But who said he _didn't_ do the wrong thing from time to time? And this moment was perfect. It was just them, alone in this forest. Deep in the woods, no one would see them. No one would know. It could be their dirty little secret.

He could be one hell of a _rebel _if he wanted to…

The idea excited him and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

…

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw that he had suddenly stopped. I looked at him curiously, wondering why he had done so. Was something wrong?

When he turned around, I saw that there was a smirk crossing his face, a devious glint in his crimson eyes. They glowed in the shadows of the trees, making him look frightening. A chill ran up my spine.

His hand let go of mine and instead, he gripped onto my arm, pulling me gracefully into his grasp. I collided softly against his chest, my hand resting on his front. I was confused by his sudden movements and the distance between us that he had cut off out of nowhere.

Then his hand snaked around my waist with his fingers resting against the side of my hip. I didn't know how to react to his actions at that moment and so I allowed him to take control.

His fingers lifted my chin.

I was staring into his red eyes again.

The space between our faces drew to a close…

The little breath I had left caught in my throat, and he connected his lips with mine.

The shock I experienced was beyond comprehension. This was so sudden; I didn't know what to think.

His kiss was gentle, soft, just like he had been treating me all this time. I quickly tried to recollect my thoughts, shoving the immense shock aside.

When his lips began to move against mine, my hand clenched onto his coat and I kissed him back. I felt him immediately smirk at my willingness and his other hand went behind my head, taking me deeper into it.

_"How could you betray me?" _I could hear Percival's voice say, his face flashing in my mind.

Though, he was quickly fading into oblivion.

It was freezing, with the snow falling continuously around us. But no, I didn't feel cold. I felt the warmth that I had longed for. Sebastian's lips were soft, his tongue velvety as he seductively licked my bottom lip. I parted my mouth slightly and he shot through, expertly tantalizing my senses with his touch.

_"Janelle…don't forget that you're mine. You don't belong to anyone else."_

This sensation he was giving me was nothing in comparison to what I had ever experienced. It was out of this world. It was crazy.

But it all came to an end when he was the one to pull away, having been the one to initiate it in the first place. It had seemed to have lasted for only a mere second.

The smirk didn't disappear off his face and he leaned over to pick me up in his arms. I gasped and clung onto his shoulders, my senses lagging by his quick actions. Once he had a steady grasp, he then went full speed through the forest. The scenery around us became blurred into a mess of images.

_"Don't forget about me…"_

From that night forth, I knew what choice I had to make. This time, it was going to be the right decision. For once, it was for me.

I had to move on.


	15. Start Again

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The English folk strolled down the cobbled streets, carriages took people place to place in a calm rush, and venders informed the city about their new supplies or of current news. All of it encompassed yet another simple day on the streets of London.

Except now, the days were advancing deeper into winter, which, for England, meant thicker snow fall and freezing temperatures.

Some humans hated it. Some loved it.

For me, I thought of the snow as a calming mechanism. Once again, I had the privilege to wander outside, feeling freer than ever. The heavy weight on my shoulders was becoming lighter, at least in this one moment.

"I'm so glad that things are a lot more peaceful nowadays…"

"Yeah, with Jack the Ripper long gone, I don't have to worry…"

"Are you mad? Check the latest news! There's something else going on and it's even more bizarre!"

"What? How more bizarre can it be?"

"What's going on?"

"I just heard it was happening in Portman Square. Near that…Hindustani coffee house I believe…"

"For real? But that's where I drink my coffee every morning!"

"Well, obviously it's not safe to be there now…"

"…heard it had to do with noblemen who returned from India…"

"…hung upside down!"

"…stripped of their clothes!"

"Ugh! How degrading!"

I furrowed my eyebrows at these curious things the citizens around me were discussing. Meanwhile, my hand was rummaging among the displayed potatoes in front of one of the venders, picking them out by quality.

"Do any of you know _why_ they're specifically attacking those men?"

"No…it's still a developing story…"

"That's too freaky!"

"They're not dead are they?"

"No, but it's extremely humiliating."

"This is only going to make us look bad!"

I handed my bag of potatoes to the owner and he weighed it before telling me the price. I handed him the money, keeping half of my attention on the conversation.

"Thank you ma'am." The owner nodded to me and I moved away, excusing myself while I departed from the crowd.

I had to admit, the story I had just heard worried me slightly. In the back of my mind, I hoped it wouldn't get worse even though there was probably more to it than that. It was the beginning of a new conflict…

I glanced down at the new list Bard had written up for me. Though it was a lot longer than the one before, it seemed I was able to finish in a reasonable amount of time.

Keeping the basket of supplies secure, I made my way back on the long road to the outskirts of town. I glanced at the townsfolk around me-laughing, smiling, or trying to stay warm. For once, I wasn't see any illusions

Although my frozen heart still held darkness, I honestly felt a little free. It was hard to believe I was actually feeling a bit happy in a true sense. I wasn't used to this.

I smiled to myself. But it was something that I wouldn't mind growing into.

As I walked further down the road, I heard a dull crashing sound and halted my steps. I concentrated on the sound and turned to find that it was coming from one of the alleyways. I paused before cautiously approaching one of the buildings. I peered behind it and seeing that there was nothing, I silently stepped further into the alleyway.

Laughter and a scream was what I heard when I came close enough that I could finally see what was happening. In the corner, I could see a group of young boys surrounding someone. My eyes narrowed and when one of the boys moved aside, I saw a young girl huddling against the wall with a frightened look on her face.

"G-go away!" the girl cried, pulling her legs against her.

"She's being stubborn, what should we do?" one of the boys snickered, nudging his friend.

My mouth opened at this horrifying scene. Age really didn't matter when it came to men, they could be nasty whenever they wanted to.

"Pft, I bet she's hiding something under all those clothes. She's just too shy to show it."

"Yeah! Let's get her!"

The boys began to bombard her, grabbing her arms and pulling on her hair.

"No! Stop! NO!" she cried, clawing her hands on the ground.

I entered the scene before it got worse, racing towards one of the boys and grabbing him by the back of his coat.

"Agh! What the- Let me go!" the boy demanded, kicking his legs in the air.

I lifted him up before easily tossing him a good distance away from the girl. His friends watched the boy sail several feet away with absolute surprise. They froze in their actions.

The boy groaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head and a glare immediately set on his face.

"Who the hell are you? Where'd you come from?"

I ignored his stupid questions and turned to the girl, pulling her away from the others and keeping her behind me.

"Hey! Give her back! Who are you to butt into our business?" A boy with shaggy blonde hair shouted, pulling on the end of my cloak.

I turned around with a harsh glare of my own. "I think it'd be best if you leave this girl alone."

"You're not gonna escape with her so easily!" the boy with the coat growled, having recovered back on his feet.

In an instant, he raced towards me, ready to throw a punch. I turned around, scooping the girl up in my arm before dodging the boy, causing him to lose balance and fall on his face. I gave a smug smile while the boy clumsily stood up again.

"Sick her boys! What are you all waiting for?"

The three other boys joined in, grabbing sticks, rocks, and garbage and hurling them at me before charging forward. I simply took casual sidesteps to dodge them as they came one at a time, the boys nearly tripping like the first boy had when they didn't harm me. I twirled in a carefree manner when one of them swung his stick before setting the girl down on a far off barrel. She looked at me with wide eyes and I gave a warm smile before facing the boys.

The boy with the coat breathed heavily, leaning over on his knees.

"Q-quit playing games!"

I crossed my arms. "The only one playing games around here is you."

He gritted his teeth. "Get her all at once!"

The four charged at all sides and I braced myself before moving at lightning speed. I slipped behind the boy and bent down, taking his untied shoe laces and tying the laces from each shoe together. He yelped and tripped for the third time. Two boys came at me from either side and I stepped forward, making them unintentionally throw their punches at each other. The last one chose to throw himself at me and I simply kicked him in the stomach as if he were a ball.

"Do you boys give up yet? I really don't want to waste any more time," I said, watching them cringing in pain on the floor.

The answer was obvious when three of them stubbornly fought on. The boy with the coat untied his shoes before stepping back, slipping his hand in his pocket and pulling out a slingshot. He quickly scanned the area, looking for something lethal until he finally spotted something decent.

He looked back at his friends and me, taking aim. He smirked as he let go of the slingshot, the object soaring in the air. He laughed hysterically at the fact that we were oblivious and jabbed a finger in the air.

"You're DEAD!"

I stepped back and looked at what had flown. In a split second, I found that the boy wasn't aiming at me, but at the girl. I turned away from the boys and immediately went to shield her, reaching my hand out.

Blood dripped on the ground and the boys looked on in shock. The girl behind me let out a small shriek. I grimaced and brought my left hand in front of me, seeing a rusty razor blade protruding right through. Horror grew on the boys' faces when I pulled it out, clenching my fingers as the wound began to heal. The blade clattered to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Hmm…I have to admit…that hurt a bit," I stated, licking up the leftover blood, my eyes glowing red.

One of the boys screamed and sprinted off without another word.

"Sh-she's psycho!"

"Let's scram!"

The two boys immediately followed, tripping over their own feet in the process. The boy with the slingshot was the only one left behind, staring at me with stunned eyes. I didn't approach him but I stared back, waiting for what he may do next.

"W-what are you?" he whispered, dropping his slingshot to the ground.

I stayed silent before sighing. "It's none of your concern. Just leave," I repeated, glaring him down.

The boy trembled and staggered backwards, knocking into a rubbish bin. His gaze on me lingered for another moment before he disappeared out of sight.

I turned around to see the girl was just as scared as the boys, which was no surprise.

"Are you alright?"

The girl slowly nodded. "A-are you a monster?" she barely spoke.

I reached out and she shut her eyes until I pat her gently on the head.

"Don't be afraid. I wouldn't hurt you, and those boys won't either."

She gave a small smile before she suddenly threw her arms around my shoulders. My eyes widened at the sudden impact and I felt her body shudder against me.

"Thank you so much for saving me. I…I was so scared…"

She choked on her tears and I rubbed her back comfortingly, like a mother would with her daughter. I embraced her for as long as she wanted until she let go. I wiped the tears from her face with my thumb and held her cheek.

"How did you get here?"

"I...I got lost. I was out with my father and then I wandered off too far. Those boys wanted money from me but when I said no," she sniffed and rubbed her eye. "They wouldn't go away…"

I took her off the barrel and set her down on the ground.

"Well you don't need to think about them anymore. Right now, we should go and find your father."

Her eyes shined. "Would you really do that?"

I smiled. "Of course, I can't leave you like this!"

She grinned and hastily clutched my arm close to her while I led us out the alleyway and back into town.

I stayed by the girl's side for a while, letting her take me to where she had last left her father. Eventually as we continued to look around, she spotted her dad in the distance, who was calling her name. She burst into tears again and I let go of her hand, watching her run into his arms.

"Don't ever wander off on me again! I was so worried!" he cried, embracing her tightly.

"I'm sorry father! I wouldn't have been able to find you without her help!" she replied, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

He looked at her curiously. "Who helped you?"

She turned around, excited to show him her savior. But her grin immediately disappeared, seeing that I was nowhere in sight.

…

I was about halfway back to the mansion, knowing that I had fooled around too much. I stopped for a brief moment when I felt the snow fall becoming more consistent, letting my hand catch a few of the cold flakes. I lifted my head up to the sky, seeing that it was a bleak grey.

Melancholy fell over me and I wondered if it was snowing back home. No, not here in England.

I wondered if my parents were getting snow. Was it possible that they were thinking about me too?

A warm feeling flooded through me. I thought about seeing them, if I ever could. I closed my eyes, imagining that they weren't far away.

Then just like that, it truly did feel as if there was a presence right next to me. I turned around on instinct and my eyes widened at who I saw.

"Sebastian?" I said, surprised.

The demon butler gave me that devious smile of his, tilting his head to the side in an innocent manner.

"Why Janelle, I was wondering when you would return to the manor."

I immediately grew embarrassed by his presence and gave a nervous laugh.

"I-I was just on my way…I didn't mean to take so lon-"

He suddenly stepped closer, towering over me with his great height.

"And I believe that I specifically told you not to go off alone on the streets. Do you recall?"

I swallowed and shyly broke form his gaze.

"I do…it's just…"

I grabbed my arm and my voice lowered. "I guess I'm not accustomed to having someone's company. Forgive me…I'll do as you say from now on."

I heard him chuckle and I looked back up, his red eyes attaching with mine.

"You sound so submissive. You'll do _anything _I say?" he challenged, smirking at me.

I grew flustered and cleared my throat. "W-well within reason, Sebastian, of course!"

He thought that over with amusement before walking in front of me. "Let's carry on quickly. The Young Master won't be patient for long."

Thinking about Ciel, another thought struck me as I followed close by his side.

"You…you willingly left the master's side just to get me?"

"As a butler, why would I not? You are part of the proud Phantomhive estate after all." He smiled back at me. "And we don't want what happened to you before to repeat now do we?"

He definitely had a point. I was just so used to the fact that I had to rely on myself to pull through at any situation.

"I received permission from the Young Master to come get you so it's perfectly fine," he added.

Of course, why would I think otherwise? It was just another part of his duty as the Phantomhive butler to keep everyone in line. Yet, I couldn't help but relish the thought of him coming for me on his own terms. I hated that I thought that way. He wouldn't waste his time otherwise.

We walked on for a few blocks in silence, though it wasn't uncomfortable. Somehow, I felt incredibly safe when I was with him. In fact, I felt all sorts of emotions, most were only when he was near. It was strange. He could intimidate me. He could make me feel nervous. He could make me feel…

I glanced at his back, my eyes trailing down to his slim arms and then to his gloved hand. A spark ignited in me.

I wanted to hold his hand.

Not just in the way for dancing. Not in the way for mannerism.

I just wanted to be closer to him. My body was urging me to. Yet, I still barely knew the man. It seemed he knew more about me than I did him. Then again, would I ever understand him? After all, he _was _a demon. There were probably many things he'd never tell anyone let alone me.

As if he had read my mind, he broke the silence.

"Janelle, may I ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Isn't it about time you explained to me what you couldn't that day? We do have time now and there won't be anyone else you'll need to tell besides me, if that's what you wish," Sebastian suggested, turning to me.

I knew exactly what he was talking about and I nodded. It was about time I fully got this off my chest.

He was patient with me and I was glad, because I told him everything. From the time I was sixteen, all the way to now, I basically poured my heart out. By the end, he'd know absolutely everything about me. I wouldn't be a secret to him anymore. There was nothing else to hide.

When I finished, he seemed to take a moment to sink all that I had said inside his mind before he said anything. He gazed off into the distance and I stared at those deep pools of crimson that were his eyes.

He then looked at me, his face not showing any obvious expression.

"Do you still harbor feelings for that man?"

That question made my heart throb once and I shook my head.

"I know it's going to be hard to get rid of how I feel about him. But I want to forget. I spent too much of my time chasing him even though he had clearly moved on… "

He was staring at me intently but I was too lost in my spoken thoughts to notice. He just let me spill out how I felt, hearing every word.

I sniffed, rubbing the tip of my nose with the back of my hand.

"I guess I can't stop messing up…"

I suddenly felt his fingers gently cup my chin, moving my face back to his. Before I could say another word, he leaned in close, holding my gaze with warmth in his eyes before his lips gently pressed against mine. It felt like a feather, like a ghost of a kiss, yet it still managed to ignite feelings that I thought were false. Soon enough, my mouth moved against his, but with a hint of uncertainty.

He pulled away for a second before briefly connecting our lips once more and then separating completely. I didn't speak for a long moment, processing what he just did in my fumbled mind.

"It wasn't a dream after all…" I ended up saying.

He chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"I…I thought the night before…I thought it was all a dream. It was all so fast and I wasn't thinking straight…" I replied and then looked up at him. "Why did you kiss me?"

He smirked and tapped a finger against his cheek. "You seemed to return the favor quite nicely. Both times, I might add."

That made me even more flustered and he smiled.

"I would understand if you thought both were uncalled for and I sincerely apologize for stealing them."

He placed his hand over his heart and bowed slightly, but before I could reply, he had lifted his head to me, his red eyes glinting mischievously.

"But, I felt that I needed to snatch what I wanted."

I didn't step away when he came close once again, holding my face between his hands.

"I _wanted _to kiss you. Is that such a crime?" he whispered.

I touched my hand on his. "No, I suppose not…"

His smirk widened. "I won't allow that man to hurt you any longer. I'll help you forget Janelle, if you want me to."

After hearing him say that, I merely buried myself in his chest, my arms grasping his shoulders tightly. He let his hand rest on the back of my head, holding me close against him.

When we continued on with our return home, his hand had wandered underneath my cloak and taken hold of mine.

"You must be cold Janelle. Here, I'll keep these warm for you," he smiled, rubbing my hand between his.

I grinned at his silly excuse, longing for this one moment to last.

He had given me what I wanted and I hadn't said anything.

He really did know everything about me.

* * *

Bard looked at me with a naughty grin on his face, leisurely smoking his cigarette.

"_So_…Jane…"

I bit my lip, avoiding his gaze and choosing to give my attention to the ceiling.

Bard was only more amused by my ignorance. "You feelin' a lot better now doll?"

"Why yes, thanks for asking Bardroy," I simply stated.

He snickered. "Uh huh and I bet good ole Sebastian was a _big_ part of your recovery."

I jokingly glared at him. "Well he was just being helpful like a butler should be."

Bard shrugged his shoulders, propping his feet up on the table. "Yeah I know. I just didn't know that he was _that _friendly."

"Oh yes, he sure is," I continued to toy with Bard, dodging the answer he really wanted.

The annoyance was getting clear on Bard's face but before he could say anything more, Mey-Rin burst in, slamming her palms on the table.

"J-Janelle, d-do you like Sebastian?!"

I smiled. "Of course I do. He's a civilized man and is perfect at what he does."

"You _know _that's _not _what she meant, Jane! Quit beatin' around the bush already!" Bard barked.

"Well...you like him too don't you Mey-Rin?" I asked, patting her hand.

"I d-do but it's not like that, it isn't!" she blurted.

"Uh oh…is there going to be a cat fight in the future?" Bard teased, blowing out some smoke.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka appeared out of nowhere.

"What's so great about him anyway, despite him being perfect and good at pretty much everything…" Bard trailed off when he saw that we immediately turned on him.

"He's obviously a gentleman!" Mey-Rin shouted.

"He can be nice when he wants to be and he's polite," I added.

"H-He's handsome, he is!"

"He's mysterious…"

"HANDSOME!" Mey-Rin repeated herself.

"And charming," I smirked and that made the clumsy maid sink to her knees and hold her burning face.

"Oh Janelle, you've got that right, you do!" she replied with a bashful grin.

Bard rolled his eyes and leaned over on the table, getting closer to me. "Never mind all that nonsense! Did anything _interesting _happen between you two?"

"Define _interesting,_" I acted dumb.

"Goodness, why's it so dark in here!" Finny suddenly interrupted, having entered the dark room and seeing that there was only a single candle lit on the table between me and Bard.

"Hi Finny!" I waved at him with a wide grin.

"What is this? An interrogation?" Finny asked, moving to light up more candles.

Bard placed his hands together in a devious way. "Yeah and it was just getting juicy…"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Anyway, I'm just happy that I get to work with you all again. Group hug!" I exclaimed and we all huddled together, Tanaka fitting in the middle of our circle.

Afterwards, we heard the door opening to the mansion and familiar voices entering the main hall.

"Oh, speak of the 'hot' devil, they're finally here!" Bard announced and we all scurried off to greet them.

"…what a nuisance, calling me out on this boring case!" We heard Ciel exclaim angrily.

"Well you can't help but come to the Queen's aid at all times. That's the duty of a watchdog after all, scaring off any threats," a voice I've never heard of replied, trying to calm the earl.

"Welcome home Young Master!" We all said, bowing to Ciel as he approached.

"Wow, it's so nice to see all the servants here. It's been a while!" A man dressed in Chinese attire stated with a friendly expression.

"Yes and they all haven't changed a bit. Not at all," Sebastian muttered, emphasizing on Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin's incompetence.

Ciel approached me. "Janelle, I believe this is your first time meeting Lau. He is the President of the British Branch of the Chinese trading company and a good friend of the Phantomhive family."

I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I replied, bowing to him.

Lau grinned. "Oh yes, I did hear the Young Master mentioning that he recently recruited a new staff member. I'm so excited to meet her. So where is she?" he asked in a carefree manner.

Ciel slapped his forehead at his nonsense and I waved my hand.

"Um, I'm right over here sir."

"Oh! Well then, my name is Lau! It's so nice to see yet another pretty face!" he said excitedly, grabbing both my hands in his.

"Lau, I've already introduced you to her," Ciel grumbled under his breath.

"Eh? You did? When?" Lau looked confused, scratching his head.

While Lau was distracted with his thoughts, Sebastian appeared by my side. "Not to be rude but, is he alright?" I whispered to the butler.

He simply smiled. "He often acts this way, so don't worry. Perhaps the opium he smokes is getting to him?" he offered.

I nodded in understanding and Sebastian turned to his master. "You must be tired from the cold my lord, I shall leave and serve tea straight away."

Ciel let out a sigh of exasperation. "Fair enough."

"Instead of English tea, would you like some chai?" Sebastian offered.

"Oh I'd love some!"

We all turned our attention to yet another new voice and saw that two people had suddenly appeared at the doorway.

"Phew, it's freezing outside. But it's quite warm in here," the stranger commented, looking around the manor.

I examined these two men, noticing their odd clothes and figured that perhaps they were the noblemen from India I had heard about earlier in town. Their appearance was quite unique in comparison to the British.

"What the- WHY THE BLAZES ARE YOU HERE?!" Ciel shouted, getting angry again.

"Eh? We just met earlier today, have you forgotten?" the man stated.

"W-Well you can't just barge in here without a proper-"

"In India, it's common to welcome and entertain guests. We even have a saying for it!" the man cut in.

I furrowed my eyebrows, completely confused as were the four other staff members.

The man stepped forward, scanning the manor again. "Hmm, so where is the bed?"

"What do you want a bed for?" Lau questioned, stuffing his hands in his sleeves.

"PRINCE! I have found one!" the other man accompanying him hollered from up the stairs.

"Oi! Listen to me! You can't just do as you please!" Ciel tried to catch their attention but they were already heading off upstairs.

"But I've decided to stay here instead of at an inn!" the man announced.

"What?! Come back here!" Ciel demanded and followed him as did the rest of us. "Why am _I _the one obliged to take care of you people?!"

The man frowned, plopping himself on the bed. "Is it customary in England to kick guests out in the cold? That's a bit rude don't you think?"

"Rude? You're the one who's being rude here! Who are you anyway?" Ciel snapped, watching the man getting comfortable on the bed as he lay down.

"Me? I'm a prince," the man simply stated.

"No way! Are you serious?!" Mey-Rin exclaimed excitedly.

"This man is the 26th child to the King of Bengal. Prince Soma Asman Kadar," the prince's ally announced.

"And this is Agni, my loyal servant," Soma motioned to him. "So that's that. I'm going to stay here, little boy," he stated matter-of-factly.

Ciel twitched at being called 'little' while Agni went to exit the room.

"As a symbol of our new friendship, I shall make us all some chai! Chai with ginger on a cold day can't be beat!"

Sebastian went after him. "Excuse me Mister Agni, but serving tea is _my_ department in this household..."

The two butlers were out of sight, leaving the three Phantomhive staff members to give their full attention to the prince.

"It's so amazing to actually meet a real prince!" Finny's eyes sparkled in joy.

"Yeah, what kind of place is Bengal?" Bard joined in.

"Come everyone, gather round! Bengal is a holy country that received the blessing of the goddess Kali and the Ganges River," Soma explained.

"You're a prince from a holy country? That makes you even more extraordinary, yes!" Mey-Rin commented.

I stayed by Ciel's side, who was quickly going to lose his cool. I honestly didn't know what to say at a sudden and strange moment like this.

"Tigers?!"

"I want to see one, I do!"

"You _eat_ them? That's kind of cruel!"

I laughed nervously at what they were discussing. Ciel's fists were clenching in irritation.

"Looks like there will be some lively times ahead for you, young Earl!" Lau suddenly popped in from behind him.

That did it.

"GET OUT!"

…and yet another interesting event was about to begin.


	16. A Royal Pain

**Well, that was kinda painful uploading all 15 at once...ugh...and it's so cold at 2 in the morning. Fingers are fuckin' frozen. Anyway, chapter 16 is my comeback chapter after halting the story for so long. Hopefully that doesn't happen again, but college is a menace so who knows...**

**This is the curry arc...yay? I took quite a bit of events that happened in the manga out of this story because I didn't think they were necessary for Janelle to participate in. I mean, what is she gonna do really...she's just gonna stand there and go 'ooh' and 'aah' at the fencing match between Sebastian and Agni for instance? Too boring. Besides, she's already not doing much since this arc is a bit on the dry side. I also tweaked a few things; that should be no surprise...**

**Anyway, shutting up now.**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The strange man had certainly outdone himself. I knew, because I observed him early in the morning before any of the servants had awakened.

All I could think of after watching him, was how adept he was, having done all of the staff member's chores in a mere short amount of time.

If I dare say, he was nearly as good as our prestigious butler, Sebastian. Humans really could do anything to the fullest extent; it didn't matter as long as they had perseverance. It made me question why I hadn't tried hard enough when I still had my humanity.

That would be something I dearly miss, being able to achieve something incredible on my own, live life to the end with those I loved, and to pass on peacefully. With a heart that barely beat and an endless lifeline, immortality didn't seem so special to me. It spelled out loneliness…watching everyone die while I inevitably push forward.

Happiness seemed so short-lived. Once I felt it, it would disappear and the darkness inside me would drown all my senses. My mind would wander…wander into thoughts that dragged me further down. It made me miss home even more.

Walking down the vacant hallway in the early morning, I noticed the snowfall was consistent outside the long windows that lined the vast walls. Along with that, Finny was going bonkers, running around more frantically than he usually did in the now 'white wonderland'. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. Hopefully he hadn't messed up too much this time…

"Oh goodness, I can't believe this, no, I can't!" The familiar screech of Mey-Rin interrupted my thoughts.

Soon enough, the ex-sniper was in my view, looking absolutely stunned with her hands curled against her chest.

"Mey-Rin? Are you alright?" I asked, approaching her.

She turned to me and grasped my arm for security. "I-I'm alright, I am. But the huge laundry load I had waiting for me yesterday is gone! It's weird, it is!" She babbled, shaking me slightly.

"Oh, it's nothing to fret about. I'm quite sure I have a good idea of who took care of the laundry for you," I smiled in comfort, patting her shoulder.

"S-Sebastian?!" she blurted out, the dark blush appearing rapidly on her face.

I snickered. "Um no, but I can see why you would think so."

She began twiddling her fingers in growing anxiety. "W-What if it was a ghost? I knew the day would come when the Phantomhive manor would be haunted with supernatural spirits, I did!"

I laughed again. "No, no, Mey-Rin. I know you love scary stories but I highly doubt that any ghosts would bother to do your chores for you…if there _is_ any 'visiting' the manor that is." I grinned and stepped in front of her with my hands held behind my back, surveying the area with a carefree disposition.

"Rats, I was so ready to go on a ghost hunt, I was…" Mey-Rin muttered to herself before following close behind me.

The both of us then made our way towards the kitchen to see if our fellow cook had experienced a similar conundrum. Our question was swiftly answered when we heard the signature yell of Bard's voice echoing against the walls.

We scurried over to the American, whose cigarette fell at his feet from his open mouth, his trembling finger pointing to a vast meal readily prepared ahead of time.

"What the-what on earth happened here?!" he demanded, his hand now slapped against his forehead.

"Wow, what is all this? I've never seen such exotic dishes before, I haven't!" Mey-Rin piped in, fixing her spectacles on her nose and examining the feast before her.

I had to agree with her on that. I hardly knew half of what was made, but it made me want to have an acquired taste for human food once again.

The prince's butler, an olive-skinned man with white hair and foreign clothes, entered the kitchen at that moment with a kind smile on his face.

"_Namaste, _everyone. Is there something the matter?" he asked with his hands clasped together.

"Y-Yes there _is _something the matter! Who made all this food?! Don't tell me it was you!" Bard exclaimed, pointing a finger at him.

Agni bowed lightly and continued smiling. "Why, you are absolutely correct Mr. Chef. Forgive me for intruding, but I felt the need to take the liberty in preparing this food."

"_M-Mr. Chef_? Alright, I'll take that!" Bard grinned, growing flustered at hearing the Indian servant call him by such a formal title. "But you didn't really need to go through all that trou-"

"What about the laundry? Was that _you_ too?" Mey-Rin cut in when a thought struck her mind, starting to figure it all out.

He nodded again. "Indeed, I have cleaned all the clothes and they are now hanging outside to dry. There is nothing to worry about you two, for I have taken care of absolutely everything!"

Bard and Mey-Rin exchanged nervous glances and then looked back at me. I was merely taking all that Agni was saying and noticed the two's expressions of uncertainty.

"Do you think we should check on Finny?" Bard whispered while Agni looked at the three of us with innocent curiosity.

I nodded. "I think we should. I was a little worried about him earlier because I saw him panicking more than usual, much like you two actually," I added, smiling at the fact that these three were always the same.

Mey-Rin turned back around to Agni with a shaky grin. "M-Mister Agni, we're going to go outside now, we will. Excuse us!" The cook and the maid then went racing down the hall, with me following close behind in a nonchalant manner.

Agni knotted his eyebrows at our curious behavior and chose to come after us. "There is nothing to fear! I haven't done anything drastic, I assure you!"

"We know! We just want to check on our pal Finny for a sec!" Bard yelled back with a wave of his hand.

Agni still followed us, making Bard and Mey-Rin pick up a faster pace.

"Why are you two so nervous? It's not like he turned the manor upside down like _you three_ would," I joked, matching their hasty walking.

They didn't answer, seeing that Agni was catching up to us easily, and instead continued on reaching their destination. In no time, we found ourselves in the winter atmosphere, the snow fall ceased for now.

"You guys!" Finny called to us as soon as he spotted our forms in the distance and sped towards us.

"Finny, is everything alright? Are _you_ alright?" Bard asked while Finny bent over his knees to catch his breath from sprinting so hard.

"B-Bard! Don't you see?!" Mey-Rin pointed out. She gazed in awe at the giant elephant sculptures that were set in various places in the spacious garden.

"_Wow_…" the three of us, minus Finny, stated in unison, admiring the frozen replica of the impressive animal.

Finny beamed at us, his cheeks red from the cold. "I know, isn't it beautiful? At first, I was going mad because it was such a surprise! But now I'm okay with it, especially since these elephants are _so _cute!"

"I'm very glad you think so!"

The three servants jumped back in surprise and huddled behind me as the Indian servant appeared before us.

"These magnificent animals are quite common back in India. If you like these sculptures, imagine meeting a real one!" Agni stated, placing a hand on the trunk of an elephant.

I peered behind my shoulder at the goofballs clinging to my shoulders and back with a reassuring glance, and the three returned to their independent positions.

"You were the one who tended the garden, sir? That was really nice of you!" Finny commented with sparkling eyes.

"Please, the pleasure was mine!" Agni insisted, waving it off.

Finny then thought of something and a hint of fear rose on his face. "Um…sir? Y-You didn't happen to see…a dog did you?"

Agni frowned. "Hmm? A dog you say? I don't believe I have...Though I did hear some howling, but figured it was some kind of forest animal."

The gardener sighed in relief, wiping his forehead. "Phew, that's good!"

"What's good?"

Mey-Rin spoke up for Finny. "We have a guard dog, we do, but he's very vicious! We highly recommend you don't bother him, yes!"

"Yeah, he normally hangs around that area so as long as you steer clear, you're fine!" Finny added with a timid laugh, pointing to the far side of the mansion.

Agni blinked once, sinking in all their rapid responses before nodding in understanding. "Alright then, thank you for warning me ahead of time. I will be sure my prince doesn't wander around there too much."

As if on cue, Pluto's loud howl resonated throughout the calm courtyard, causing the three servants to gulp hard and stare at each other in apprehension.

"Uh oh, somebody's in a cranky mood! I better go check on Plu-Plu right this instant!" Finny declared with a grin and then ran off in a flash, yelling Pluto's name on the way.

The Indian butler looked on in complete shock. "That sounded a lot louder than I had heard before! How large _is_ that dog, exactly?"

Mey-Rin and Bard guffawed in an exaggerated manner, attracting Agni's attention once again.

"Like we said, let's just say that the dog doesn't exist alright?" Bard urged, patting Agni on the back before casually walking towards the manor.

The maid glanced at me and I nodded to her, and she scurried behind Bard, hurrying out of the cold.

Agni then turned to me, his hands held behind his back. "And you miss, what was your name? I don't believe we have been acquainted face-to-face."

I gave a polite smile. "My name is Janelle." I then turned to him fully and lowered my head to him in respect. "I'm really quite amazed at your skills, Mister Agni. I believe the prince is quite lucky to have you."

Agni gave a chuckle and waved a hand in the air. "Oh no, Miss Janelle, it's actually the other way around. I'm the one who is lucky to have the prince take in a lowly person such as me."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Agni closed his eyes in remembrance and took a few steps in front of me. "I was a sinner back then, abusing my former high status for all the wrong reasons. I was lost…I couldn't bring myself to have faith in God."

I stared at his broad back with empathy, somehow relating to him in so many ways even though it was different.

His head rose to the white sky. "I felt abandoned and didn't know where to go. I had accepted my execution, for I had nothing else to lose." He then turned back to me and that cheerful smile returned.

"But then, the prince had accepted me before my end and I was reborn as Agni. At that moment, I saw God in Prince Soma and felt that, somehow, I could become an entirely new and better person."

He clasped his hands in front of him with joyful tears in his eyes. "I was so rejuvenated! He is my God and I will always remain loyal to him for as long as I shall live!"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I'm glad things turned around for you. Before you told me that little story, I wouldn't have ever realized you were at all bad."

He gave a slight bow. "I thank you for that complement. That means much to me and lets me know that I am, indeed, someone better."

I stepped towards one of the elephant sculptures and placed a hand on its leg. "I wonder what India is like. Surely, it's much warmer than here in London, no?"

Agni nodded and approached me. "Yes, indeed. Prince Soma did not even know what snow was before he came here."

I gave a small smile. "Hmm…it must be nice to feel the heat for once instead of feeling cold all the time…"

He tilted his head in curiosity. "So, Miss Janelle, have you been living in England all your life, or do you originate elsewhere? Your accent is a bit different from the other servants."

My eyes widened a bit. "Oh, you noticed? Normally, people don't since it's not as heavy, but it's probably because I've been wandering Great Britain for so long now…"

"You're a wanderer, Miss Janelle?"

I lightly shrugged. "Perhaps, you could say that. But Master Ciel was kind enough to take me in for a while. Who knows, someday I may be able to return home to France. That's where I was born." I answered.

"Ah, France. I've never been there before but it must be a beautiful place," Agni nodded in thought.

I forced a smile, eyes watering slightly as I looked off into the distance. Out of nowhere, I felt a warm hand touch my cheek and my face was turned to see the Indian butler.

"I sense a deep sadness in you, even though you don't outright show it. What could be troubling you?" he asked with a frown.

"I…suppose I'm a bit homesick is all. I just want to see my parents one more time." My eyes lowered to the ground. "I guess I'm just tired of wandering…"

He smiled warmly and let his hand slide down to grasp my shoulder. "Don't give up, Miss Janelle. I'm sure your wish will be granted soon. If you have a little faith, someday you'll be standing in front of that door. You'll be in your parents' arms once more."

I nodded shakily and sniffled. "Th-Thank you Mister Agni, for saying that…"

He continued grinning at me, patting both of my bared shoulders in comfort.

…

Up on the second floor, the demon in disguise watched the two outside in the snow, talking together in such a close manner.

He watched closely the kindness that the Indian servant was showing to her, and for some reason, an ugly monster threatened to thrash and show its true colors inside of him. It made him sick and it irritated his already starved disposition.

His gloved hand was pressed against the glass window and his fingers began to clench at seeing someone else make her smile in an almost affectionate manner. It was a good thing he had so much self-control.

His crimson eyes narrowed in such a glare that could make someone drop dead if the expression was true. But his conscience returned to him in an instant and slapped him back to his senses. He truly did not understand why he felt such hatred at seeing her being touched by another, much like how he felt if anyone ever laid a violent hand on his master.

Over and over, he continued telling himself that it was simply ludicrous to feel that way, especially since she was not under his control, nor would he ever have her-

He frowned at the thought he just cut off. What was he thinking? The only thing he truly wanted was his master's soul. That was his only sole purpose here.

But another thought crossed his mind almost immediately after trying to convince himself otherwise. It pleased him and temporarily tamed his demonic side, a devilish smirk spreading on his lips.

He knew he would get what he wanted in the end, and he didn't care if it meant destruction or despair. For Hell's sake, that was what he lived for.

* * *

Sebastian's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Ciel had played a wrong note for the fifth time that morning as he tried his best to perform a most difficult piece that was completely new to him.

"Young Master, you mustn't be so stiff. Just relax and let your mind flow with the notes you are playing. Honestly, I don't understand how it could be so hard."

The young Earl let out an aggravated growl and faced his butler head on. "Of course _you _don't think it's difficult because _you_ already know the piece by the back of your hand! Your logic behind teaching me this is erroneous!"

Sebastian simply smirked in that sadistic way of his and tilted Ciel's chin up with his violin bow. "As I have said before, if it is too simple, you will not try hard enough and will most likely slack off. But if it is hard, you will gain confidence. That is simply my way of teaching, my lord."

The demon butler stole a glance up at the female vampire sitting at the piano, who was thinking hard on her composition. He gave a close-eyed smile. "If you so desire, perhaps you should switch gears and allow Janelle to teach you how to play the piano then?"

Ciel looked up in interest, halting his violin. "Hmm…that sounds much less painful than having to endure anymore of this…"

But before Ciel could set down the string instrument, Sebastian reeled him back in place. "I'm afraid that cannot be done, master. You are already 45 minutes into your lesson and making such…well…_decent _progress thus far."

Ciel glared at him with disdain before complying and continuing on with his practice. Meanwhile, Janelle had heard what Sebastian had said and looked up from her work, gazing at the demon butler. Sebastian felt her eyes and looked up from his sheet paper, only to find that the young woman had returned her attention to the piano. He steadily watched her scratching out and adding certain notes on her paper strewn with musical notes. Her fingers glided over the keys as if she were actually playing, when in reality, she was not touching the keys in order to avoid disturbing Ciel's lesson. She merely imagined the sounds the specific notes would emit in her head instead.

He couldn't stop the smile that crept on his face, watching her carrying out a leisurely duty seemed to set his own mind at peace. The rational, innate side of him thought otherwise, however, and forced him to think more like the heartless demon he was born to be. He agreed for a spell and shook those fantasies away.

"That's it, Young Master, you're doing much better now," Sebastian commented, having listened to Ciel's playing at the same time as his contemplating. "Don't be afraid to express the intense emotions and explore what the music truly means. Yes, there is also anger that plays here…"

Sebastian froze when he had inexplicably heard the familiar sound of a deep note on the piano. He had surely heard wrong, for just mere seconds ago, he had seen her _not _touch the piano. But once again, the piano emitted more lousily put together tunes and the voice of Janelle sounded frantic, followed by the abrupt slam of the piano cover.

The two turned around to see Janelle giving them an apologetic expression and Prince Soma as well, who had boldly taken a seat next to her and decided to try his hand at the piano without regard to his surroundings.

"I don't understand how one can simply memorize all these annoying keys! How do _you_ do it?" the prince stated, leaning into Janelle's face and invading her personal space.

She merely narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "Please, your highness-"

"What are_ you_ doing here? I thought I told you not to bother me until I was done!" Ciel shouted in annoyance.

Soma pouted and turned on the bench with his arms crossed. "I just wanted to spend time with you Ciel. As you can see, I am also quite skilled in the musical arts!"

He tried to prove his point by opening the piano cover, but Janelle moved in his way before he could even do so. His frown deepened and he turned to the door. "Agni! Have you retrieved the instruments yet?"

"Yes, my prince!" Agni replied and rushed in with a set of drums and a guitar.

The Indian butler then placed two rugs on the floor and the two of them sat down in a cross-legged position. Agni promptly began playing the drums and Soma grinned with pride, strumming the guitar.

"What do you think Ciel? These are the instruments that we commonly play in my home cou-"

"GET OUT!" Ciel shouted, signaling for Sebastian to kick the two Indians out.

The demon butler did so without question and the room became silent once the two were outside the door.

Sebastian sighed heavily and stole a glance at his pocket watch. Reading the time struck a nerve as he twitched again, clenching the small clock.

"I am sorry Young Master, but unfortunately, the time for your violin practice has been cut short due to that unsightly disturbance. We must move on with the next lesson."

"Alright, though that was uncalled for, I can't help but feel a bit glad for that…"

"What was that my lord?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him, knowing full well what his master had uttered under his breath.

Ciel merely held his forehead in exasperation and went to stow away his violin. "It is nothing of importance, Sebastian. Let us go on then…"

* * *

After getting hold of a book from the library, I returned to where Sebastian and Ciel resided in another room. I entered to see the butler teaching art this time.

"Do not simply see it as it is, my lord. Take note of the character each item has and how it differs greatly from the other. Art is obviously much more intricate than what it may seem." Sebastian pointed out, examining Ciel's strokes. "Depth is important too."

Knowing what Ciel was going to study ahead of time, I chose a book about the history and styles of various artists in the 19th century. I began to read and study the distinct paintings carefully, at the same time, thinking to myself. Why couldn't have I just stayed in the library, instead of coming here and possibly disturbing Ciel's concentration?

Don't be coy, I thought in my head. I knew _exactly_ why, it was because of a certain demon butler. I suppose I just wanted to spend as much time with him as I could during their extremely tight schedule, even if it was discreet. They were losing valuable time though, considering the fact that two certain foreigners kept interrupting.

I'll leave them alone after this, I convinced myself, and deemed that fairly reasonable. Anyhow, it didn't seem that Ciel minded as much, considering he didn't scold me to leave just yet.

The door suddenly creaked open just then and Sebastian and I looked up, hoping that it wasn't who we thought it was. We soon found it to be Mey-Rin, and Sebastian turned his attention back to Ciel, leaving her in my hands.

"Psst! Janelle!" Mey-Rin whispered, tip-toeing towards my seated form.

"What is it?" I whispered back, setting down the art book.

"Umm…th-there's a big problem, there is!" Mey-Rin said in a hushed panic.

My eyebrows creased in worry. "Oh no, what happened this time?"

"P-Please don't get mad, but Bard and I were trying to get this wine bottle open. A-And you know, w-we couldn't find the cork screw at the time and Finny burst into the kitchen, trying to help us with it."

"Oh no…" I repeated, having a good idea of what could have happened next.

"Before we could stop him, he took it outside in the hallway and accidentally cracked the whole bottle in half, he did! Next thing you know, the wine spilled all over the carpet! And now we don't know how to get the stain out!" Mey-Rin nearly exclaimed, shaking me in her frantic state.

"Ladies, I would appreciate it if you would take the situation outside," Ciel spoke up without looking away from his sketch.

I took hold of Mey-Rin's arm, nodding my head at the Earl. "Sorry, my lord, please excuse us. Let's go Mey-Rin…and would you mind telling me _why _you and Bard were fiddling with wine in the first place?"

She blushed in embarrassment. "W-well, you see…"

At that moment before we could exit the room, we met Prince Soma and Agni face to face as they burst into the room.

"Excuse us ladies, CIEL! Are you done yet?" Soma demanded, walking over to the Earl.

Ciel grumbled under his breath, nearly breaking his charcoal. "What is it _now_?"

"Hmm? Isn't drawing a bottle boring? Why can't you draw something more exciting?" Soma stated rudely, peering over Ciel's shoulder.

Sebastian stepped towards the two Indians, ready to kick them out once again. "Mister Agni, won't you kindly escort Prince Soma out of the room? My master will not be finished with his schedule _any time soon_," he emphasized with a smile that masked impatience.

Before Agni could comply with Sebastian's request however, Soma abruptly turned around and approached Mey-Rin, yanking her forward.

"Drawing a picture with a naked woman as your model would be more interesting wouldn't it? Woman, undress!" Soma ordered the maid.

My mouth opened in shock at his bold statement and Mey-Rin's face bloomed into a tomato. "I-I will only undress in front of the man I love, I will!" she replied with conviction, now more embarrassed than ever.

Soma's golden eyes then locked with my deep blue ones. Oh great, I should have known this was coming.

"Ciel, did you not mention she was your other tutor? All the better, she should help you learn to appreciate_ real_ art just perfectly!" Soma stated with a grin and began pushing me forward closer to the Earl.

"Prince…I-I think that's a bit much-" Agni started with an unsure smile.

"I'm simply trying to help Ciel, Agni! Now miss, won't you undress?" Soma asked me as if he was asking how I was doing, gripping my bare shoulders.

My eyes pierced into his with growing anger. I was_ so_ tempted to slap the taste out of this man, but alas, he was a prince and I was just a mere woman.

Just then, Soma was pulled off me rather roughly and I soon found it to be Sebastian, whose crimson eyes looked like they could murder anyone on the spot. A dark aura seemed to surround his body and the Prince gulped in sudden fear, an intense shiver running up his spine.

"I will only ask once more, please leave this room with your butler and _stay away_ from my master for the time being," Sebastian warned in a dark tone, though his smiling face said otherwise.

He then stared right through the Prince's golden irises and stated more lowly, "You _will_ face the consequences if you _ever_ touch her inappropriately again."

Prince Soma was shocked for words as he realized who he was talking about, leaning his head back to glance at me.

"That's enough, Sebastian. The prince can barely stand, now that you've scared him down to the bone," Ciel stated nonchalantly.

Sebastian turned around, releasing Prince Soma with a little push. "Yes, my lord."

Agni then took the prince and quietly guided Soma out of the room without another word. Sebastian retrieved his pocket watch again, scoffing at the lost time.

"Oh dear, only a few minutes left until our next objective…" Sebastian mumbled to himself.

An appreciative smile had broken out on my face after hearing and seeing what Sebastian had said and done. I placed a hand on his arm and he looked up at me, his eyes back to their normal softened gaze.

"Don't worry, Sebastian. You always manage to stay on time, no matter the situation," I reassured him, squeezing his arm gently.

His tense muscles relaxed and he turned fully to me with a smile that I hadn't seen before. This smile of his seemed more genuine instead of malicious, almost as if he truly cared…

I could feel my cheeks heat up ever so slightly and let him go, pressing a fist to my mouth as I cleared my throat. "Anyway…I should go and help Mey-Rin with her accident. She ran off already it seems…" I stated, seeing that the maid had exited early.

"Off you go then," he simply replied in a calm tone.

I then bowed my head and briskly made for the door. "I'll be you seeing you soon, my lord," I said to Ciel.

"Yes, goodbye for now Janelle," Ciel said with a wave of his hand.

As soon as the door closed, Sebastian returned to his master. "We'll be off to the next thing as well, my lord. How is your progress?"

"Nearly finished," Ciel stated plainly.

While Sebastian wasn't looking, Ciel sent him an amused look, starting to figure out the true cause of his butler's near-cracked composure through the minor ordeal that had occurred moments ago.


	17. What We Are

**Really, really happy to be writing again... :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I was back in the large and isolated library again, having decided to spend the rest of the hours of the day alone, reading several books and accumulating plenty of information while I was at it.

The 'wine bottle' incident earlier was apparently the servants' failed attempt to get the Devil Dog to drink it so that he would stay asleep longer in a drunken stupor. As much as I found their plan amusing, I figured the intention would have failed either way, it being successful or not. Pluto probably would have been more agitated and destroyed the whole garden, or worse, _the whole manor_. He would be a violent drunk, in my opinion.

After having taken care of the ghastly red stain off the carpeted floor and making sure that the servants knew what they were doing for the rest of the day without blunder, I hadn't been disturbed since then.

Night was fast approaching and being able to smell the food from all the way upstairs, I realized it was dinner time already.

I got off the chair I was sitting on and walked towards the frosty window, seeing the snow begin to pick up again. It looked deathly quiet outside, much like the silence of a graveyard. The deep, dark forest surrounding the mansion sucked me in again and made my mind start to travel into vacant, unfavorable places of thought.

I didn't keep track of how long I was standing there, but soon enough; a rampant set of footsteps snapped me out of my reverie and I turned my head towards the door before it inevitably slammed open. Of course, it was Prince Soma; I could smell his annoying blood from miles away.

The library was only lit with a few candles, but sensing that someone was in there before him, he narrowed his eyes and took curious steps forward.

"Hello? Who is there? Show yourself!" the violet-haired prince demanded, looking around with caution.

I smirked at this, perhaps I could toy with him in his now vulnerable state in the dark. I didn't answer him and instead, sped to the other side of the room with agile, silent steps.

"I-I mean it! I'm in a rage right now and I won't hesitate to tear anything to pieces!" he threatened, trying to figure out where I was.

He suddenly felt icy cold fingers press on the back of this neck, and before he could react, I grasped his neck fully in my hand. I inched closer to where his jugular vein resided, tempted to sink my aching fangs into him.

"Oh my, what's gotten you so angry, Prince Soma? Surely you wouldn't try and harm a weak woman like me would you?" I teased in his ear.

He shrieked and aimed to hit me, but I already let go and stepped away before he could do so. He looked on in confusion and I resisted the urge to burst out laughing at his silly face.

"Well, then again, you didn't seem too afraid to undress Mey-Rin and I. Do you have no respect for women at all?" I stated, finally coming out of the shadows where he could see me as I sat back in my chair near the candles.

Soma gapped at me, raising a shaking finger. "I-It was you?! Why didn't you just show yourself instead of nearly scaring me to death!" he scolded, stomping towards me.

I shrugged my shoulders with a smile. "That would be boring. Besides, you looked so cute, scared and what not."

He grumbled in frustration and took a seat in a love chair across from me, crossing his arms like a temperamental child.

I sighed and brought my chair closer to him so that we were facing each other directly. "What's the matter? Why are you upset?"

His golden eyes looked up at me with slight apprehension and I rolled my eyes with a playful smile. "Come on now, I won't hurt you or try to scare you anymore. I honestly want to know what's wrong."

He let out a heavy sigh before leaning forward with his hands between his knees. "As I have explained to Ciel and everyone else at the dinner table, I'm upset because I'm trying to find this woman that I truly care about."

"Oh…is she your lover?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. If she was, boy, we could be best buds.

Though it was hard to tell in the dim candlelight, I could sense the blood rising to his cheeks like no tomorrow and he violently shook his head.

"No, no, of course not! Meena is like a nanny to me. She was the only one there when my father and mother wasn't. Sometimes, I feel like she's the only who truly cares about me and my well-being," Soma explained, his brief embarrassment turning solemn.

"Even though she's my servant, she _wasn't_ just that to me. Like Agni, I cherish her so much. I wouldn't know what I would do without either of them at my side…I love them…"

Soma then grabbed his head in aggravation. "But then she was stolen from me by the British consul! I will never forgive that wretched person!" He slammed his fist down. "I vow that I will take her back to India with me, with whatever means necessary!"

I nodded in understanding. "I see, I completely understand. I had been looking for someone dear to me too…"

He looked up at me with interest. "Really? Were you able to find this person?"

My deep blue eyes showed no emotion. "He ended up finding me…after my own wasted efforts all those years. I thought I loved him and that he still loved me, despite his lies. But now, I'm not so sure anymore…"

Soma set a hand on my knee. "But surely you could still get him back right? I mean…if you really-"

"He could rot in Hell for all I care," I stated with a bitter tone and he stopped himself, shocked at my harsh words.

I looked at him gazing down with a sad expression and shoved all my negative thoughts aside. "But Prince Soma, I'm still looking for someone. And it isn't that cheating bastard anymore; it's this girl that I should have treated better as a friend."

His eyes lit up at my sudden optimism. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm going to find her, somehow and someday. And you, Prince Soma, I have faith in you. I know you can find Meena. I can feel it." I told him with confidence, all the while, thinking of the certain girl with caramel blonde hair.

A small smile managed to crack on his face. "Thank you for your thoughtful words. It makes me feel a little better now…even_ if_ you're a bit creepy."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose I am naturally odd to you humans now huh?"

He frowned. "Huh? What do you mean 'us humans'? Aren't you one yourself?"

I blinked innocently at him, though on the inside, I was a bit panicked that I almost spilled what I really was. "Of course, you silly prince. I was merely being odd again with that statement."

He rolled his eyes at me before looking serious again. "Say…can you tell me why Ciel's butler got so angry at me before? What is he, your lover or something?"

I smiled thoughtfully at that. "No…but I wouldn't want to get on his bad side if I were you. I heard he could be 'one hell of a beast' if he wanted to."

Soma gulped and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Y-yes…I realized that after he put up a good fencing match with my own butler. I couldn't imagine anyone matching up to Agni before!"

I gave another chuckle and shrugged. "See? You shouldn't underestimate people, dear prince."

* * *

In the day that followed, it seemed things didn't turn out the way the prince had wanted, unfortunate as it is. Though I chose not to get involved with Prince Soma and Agni's personal affairs, I could sense that there was something wrong. Considering that I didn't sleep as much anymore, it wasn't hard to see that Agni was doing something behind the prince's back, aside from their late night searches for Meena.

Sebastian, Ciel, and the Chinese trader, Lau, had gone off to see what Agni was up to along with the prince, and it was only a matter of time before I saw the results of that outcome.

The prince had returned with a devastated mood that was much worse than before. He allowed all his pent up feelings to escape by making a huge mess with the tea set that Sebastian apparently went through some trouble obtaining for Ciel. All in all, the prince was a betrayed wreck.

I was willing to go and calm him down myself, but it seemed our fellow butler had it under control in his own capable hands.

As I did my nightly patrol down the hallway, I noticed Sebastian and Ciel with Prince Soma

"Ciel! I'm so sorry! Though I am seventeen, I still act like just a child," I heard the prince admit to the two standing before him.

"Unlike you, I hardly know much about the world. I was just a spoiled child with luxuries given to me by my parents so I never bothered trying to step out of my boundaries and understand people. But now I see, I refused to confront Agni about his actions. I'm ready to face Agni and Meena now! I want to understand why they chose to leave me like this. So please-"

"Don't waste your breath, prince," Ciel cut in with a straight face. "I can't even stand to look at people who barely know what the world is like." The Earl began walking away, but stopped in his tracks. "But then again, my door is always open…"

In the next few minutes of silence, Prince Soma understood what Ciel meant by that statement and grabbed the Young Master in a bone-crushing hug from behind.

Soma let go before Ciel could choke to death and clasped his hands together in apology. "Please forgive me, Ciel, for I acted foolishly before."

He then noticed that the demon butler was still standing there, staring at the two nobles with indifference. The violet-haired royal briskly hid behind Ciel's frail form. "A-and you too Mister Sebastian, I-I apologize for breaking the tea set, I really am sorry!"

Sebastian shook his head at his senseless fear of him. "It's alright, prince."

I walked a bit closer to the group as they began walking forward. The demon butler had known I was listening in the whole time and stopped to turn around, a welcoming smile crossing his features. I returned his kind expression and came up beside him.

Ciel sighed heavily. "Anyway, we should get back to business. Sebastian-" The young Earl stopped when he noticed his butler and me standing together a few feet behind him.

"Eh Ciel, what's the problem—oh! It's you again, hello! I didn't realize you were still up at this hour!" Soma hollered back to me and I simply gave a small wave.

Ciel smirked at the fact that the butler seemed pleased to see me again and waved him off. "Sebastian, I expect to see you back in ten minutes. No more than that. Let's go Prince Soma, we need to discuss about Mr. West."

Sebastian was about to say something but seeing that the two nobles were scurrying off, he rubbed his chin in thought, realizing his master's intentions. "Interesting…it's so rare to see my master being thoughtful. There was no need for that however…"

I was a bit insulted by his flat response towards Ciel's lenience, but decided to play it off. "Oh is that so Sebastian? Then if you'll excuse me, I'll be heading that wa-"

The demon butler stopped me from going back to where I came, with a firm grasp around my arm. He pulled me back close against his side and gave a close-eyed smile. "I was merely being sarcastic, Janelle. Don't be so sensitive."

I inhaled his comforting, natural scent, resting my face against his chest. Even though it had only been a short while, it seemed like a longer time since I was able to be this close to him. He seemed to feel the same way as he wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me further into his embrace.

After staying like that for a bit, we began walking down the hall with my arm clinging to his back and his hand resting comfortably on my hip.

"Based on the prince's frightened reaction towards you, I would assume you were pretty harsh on him, huh?" I looked up at him and he chuckled.

"The spoiled brat was asking for it. He acts as if this is his palace back in that wretched country of his. Aside from that, it _is_ quite relieving not to follow someone's orders for once…" Sebastian replied with an irritated look.

When he heard me chuckling out of nowhere, he peered down at me curiously. "You know…I think your knack for instilling fear and intimidation in people is rubbing off on me a little. The other day when he entered the library, I gave him a little scare…and was tempted to eat him…" I said the last part with a guilty grin.

He smirked in amusement. "Oh is that so? I'm pleased to hear that I'm _rubbing off on you_…"

"Why does that sound so suggestive when you say it?"

"Whatever do you mean? I wasn't_ suggesting_ anything dear."

His face then grew serious and he stopped our tracks. "He didn't…invade your personal space against your will, did he?"

I snickered. "No, but our conversation _was_ getting a bit personal…"

He narrowed his eyes. "Elaborate."

I shrugged, my fingers fiddling with the buttons on his vest. "Well, he told me about Meena and I told him about…well…I think you know who I mentioned…" I trailed off and he caressed the side of my face in understanding.

"And then I _did_ warn him about not getting on your bad side, telling him that you could be…" I cut myself off and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"What did you say, Janelle? No lying now, tell me the truth."

"I just told him you could be, uh, 'one hell of a beast' is all." I scrunched my nose. "Now that I think about it…that was pretty lame of me to say."

"Indeed it was. You think of me as a _beast_, Janelle?" he asked with a smile, though his fingers pinching me hard on the cheek expressed otherwise.

"Only when you're angry, sire, I swear! Other than that you're not so bad!" I pretended to sound traumatized as his strong pinching grew more immense.

His eyes glowed magenta, because of his insistent 'abuse' and stretching of my left cheek, he was able to see my sharp fangs, and it excited his demon instincts in a strangely erotic way.

Before he could stop himself, his lips took advantage of my open mouth and took me into a passionate kiss. I let out a surprised moan in response, only pleasing him more on the inside.

His tongue thrust into my mouth rather forcefully, but was gentle when he massaged my waiting tongue with his. My fingers gradually tangled into his silky black hair, and the feel of my cold fingertips against his head made him tingle in delight.

We could have gone on forever like that, for neither of us had to stop to catch our breaths. Our mouths moved in a sensual pattern, and something inside me began to ache in pure desire. At first I thought it was because of my thirst for blood since I hadn't fed in a while. But then I realized; it was more than that…

As always, he was the one to pull away from me, as if something inside of him was yearning to take it further, but he refused to go on for some reason.

I licked my lips, savoring his spicy taste. "What are we, Sebastian? I'm a bit confused…"

The sight of my tongue running along my reddish lips made him feel slight regret that he ended our kiss so soon.

"Simple, you are a vampire. I am a demon." He decided to toy with me first with a smug grin.

I gave a small glare. "You know exactly what I mean, Sebastian."

"What do _you_ think we are Janelle?" he replied with a question of his own.

My blue eyes met his red ones and I shook my head. "I don't know…" A thought struck me in the next second. "But Prince Soma did mention something…about us…"

Sebastian smirked. "Oh? And what did he say?"

"He thought…you were my lover," I said slowly, not sure of how Sebastian would respond to that.

He grasped my chin and kept me from looking away. "And how did you react to him saying that?"

"The thought…sounded nice," I couldn't help but say.

"Then maybe that's what we are," Sebastian stated with a warm smile.

A burst of euphoria hit me after he said that. It was a possibility between us…

The demon butler then took out his pocket watch, checking the time. "Oh my…"

"Oh no, did we go over your ten minutes?" I gulped, nervous for him.

He merely chuckled and stowed the watch away. "No dear, but we were close. We took eight minutes," he stated in a prideful tone.

I stepped away from him and urged him to go. "You should go to him then. I shouldn't keep you from more important matters."

"Please, it'll only take me a mere second to get to him." He waved that off and took my hands in his once more. "I will see you later then."

I nodded with a smile. "Yes, you will."

_It was a possibility._


	18. Cocoa

**I find this chapter simply adorable, and you shall soon see why. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

In all my short years of being immortal, never has my nose ever felt like it was burning on fire. This was obviously one of the downsides to having an enhanced sense of smell—and I absolutely detested it.

The next two days passed by in a blur, and the buzz about competing in a curry contest in order to reach Agni and Meena, as well as achieve a 'Royal Warrant' against the man responsible for keeping Agni under his clutches, was the sole objective that everyone in the Phantomhive manor was concentrating on.

Basically the main battle here was Ciel Phantomhive's Funtom Company versus Harold West's Hindustani coffee house, which apparently had the upper hand since it was part of a main Indian trading company.

And as much as I supported Sebastian's hardworking efforts in creating the perfect curry that could match up to Agni's 'Right Hand of God', spices was another thing.

Lau had managed to ship in loads of those pungent ingredients straight from India, being the president of his trading company after all, and good Lord, I wasn't in the happiest of moods. Well, not that I ever was to begin with.

Sebastian seemed to find my suffering enjoyable however. Wonderful, at least I made someone happy around here, note my deep sarcasm.

"There must be something terribly wrong with your sense of smell, dear. I find the scent of these spices quite wonderful," the sadistic butler teased. He then scooped up a handful of a rather _strong _spice and wafted it in my face with his other hand.

Meanwhile, I didn't dare inhale through my nose, choosing not to breathe at all. I stepped away from him and he only stepped closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and holding the cursed substance before my nose.

"Just indulge in the sharp scent that only spices could provide, Janelle. Take it all in. It's the only way to appreciate true curry after all." He continued to torture me, keeping a firm grip so that I couldn't move elsewhere.

I scrunched my nose and decided to bury my face into his chest. "I hate you, Sebastian," I stated in a muffled voice.

"What was that dear? I'm afraid you'll have to stop hiding and say what's on your mind like a normal person would," he leered down at me burrowing my face deeper into his coat, knowing what I had said regardless.

Ciel, who was standing beside a grinning Lau, was watching us messing around and shook his head with an amused scoff. "Oi, Sebastian, quit flirting and get back to carrying the spices inside!" he hollered with one hand cupped over his mouth.

I lifted my head to see Sebastian's wide, pristine smile towards Ciel before he let me go, grasping my arm tightly for one second and then setting off to do what his master ordered.

Starting to get used to the stinging pain that came with the overwhelming stench of spices, I went over to where Bard and Finny were, aiming to help them carry the sacks inside.

"Hey Bard, I have something ridiculous to say," I stated with a sly smile.

Bard looked over at me and grinned, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Oh yeah? The more ridiculous, the better!"

"Would you say that things around here are starting to…_heat up_?" I said shamelessly, expecting to be ridiculed next.

Bard saw me holding up some spices with the same sly expression and snorted loudly, a sarcastic laugh coming after. "Oh, get outta town Janelle! Just get outta town!"

The innocent gardener had overheard what I had said and his face grew puzzled. "What are you guys talking about? It's freezing out here! Look at all the snow!" Finny pointed out while lifting five sacks with one arm.

The cook's laughter came to an abrupt halt and he and I stared at him with a blank expression. Finny looked back at us with even more confusion, especially since an awkward silence filled the void.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that? You're scaring me!" He cowered behind the sacks.

Bard sighed and ruffled Finny's strawberry blonde hair. "Oh Finny, I don't know what to tell your little pea-sized brain…"

Finny's so called 'puny' brain was able to catch onto that as he whipped around and charged after him with the load of spices still in hand. "Hey! My brain isn't that small Bard! I'll have you know that my brain is just as strong and capable as my physical strength!"

"Oh no! Does that mean your brain's gonna come out and beat the living pulp outta me? Gray matter and all?" Bard shouted back, trotting in a carefree way.

"You better hope it _won't_!" Finny replied, lifting the sacks over his head in a threatening posture.

"Oh dear, what have I done?" I muttered to myself before striding towards one of the sacks and heaving it in my arms. I then spotted Prince Soma gazing at the spices in his hand with uncertainty and strode towards him.

"Prince, you're pouting again," I said, peering at his saddened gold eyes.

He gave a sideways glance and sighed, allowing the various spices to slip from his hands and back into the bag. "I just don't know. I can't help but feel that it's hopeless to try and win against Agni. I also can't imagine Sebastian to be-AHH!"

He began to whine in pain when I had pulled his ear sharply, glaring at his negativity and doubt. "What have I told you about underestimating others? How do you know Sebastian will not be able to create curry that is as good as Mister Agni's, hmm? Answer that, silly prince," I said plainly while yanking on his auricle.

"OW! Let go of me! That really hurts!" The prince attempted to slap my hand away but my fingers kept its iron grip.

Through his pain, he noticed that an affectionate smile appeared on my face then, and at first he had thought I would finally let go. But alas, he was put into a worse predicament as his body was lifted in the air from behind by the back of his shirt collar.

"What is with all this bullying Janelle? You should know better than to treat your superiors with such disrespect," Sebastian said in mock disappointment. His close-eyed smile was set on his face while keeping Soma lifted in the air.

The prince had stopped throwing a tantrum and froze in fear when he heard the demon's velvet voice.

"Such hypocrisy you speak. I just found the silly prince being ridiculous as usual…" I replied, running a hand through my fuchsia locks.

"Oh? Prince Soma, mightn't you enlighten me? What did you say to cause Janelle to abuse you in such a way?"

The violet-haired royal began to rethink what he had said, or was about to say, out loud. A hard gulp crawled down his throat and he clasped his hands together as if he were to pray, spinning slightly as he dangled.

"Sebastian, I hope that you are able to accomplish this difficult task set upon you. But at the same time, I'm worried that determining how to use unfamiliar spices correctly may be too much for you…I-I mean, not that I doubt you! I'm just deeply worried!" Soma tried to choose his words carefully in fear that the demon may mangle him.

To Soma's surprise and joy, the butler set him down gently to his feet, catching the prince off guard. Sebastian then placed a hand over his chest and bowed. "I understand your concern, but rest assured that I have it all under control. In fact, I do require your assistance, prince, for you are the only one who knows the taste of Agni's god-like curry."

Soma adjusted his clothing and nodded shakily. "Y-yes of course, I don't mind helping at all. But are you sure you have it under control?"

"Please, Prince Soma, with this insistent questioning of my ability, it really makes me feel that you _do_ doubt me after all," Sebastian replied with an evil glint in his eye.

"Oh yes, you can actually smell the doubt, can't you?" I added and Sebastian chuckled.

"Are you sure that's not just the spices that still plague your nose, dear?"

"Perhaps it's a bit of both. They both smell so atrocious; it's rather hard to tell."

Watching the two of us swapping sarcastic remarks at each other made Soma feel even more scared than he was before, and he took a few cautious steps backwards.

_What is _wrong _with these two? Alone with one of them is bad enough, but when they're together, it almost makes me wonder if they are both possessed by some evil spirit! Oh great goddess, Kali, please make sure no harm comes to me! _Soma thought up a quick prayer on the spot.

* * *

Starring at all the numerous pots of bubbling curry Sebastian had made, I was simply left speechless by the unbelievable man.

Having witnessed Sebastian finishing all this in two hours only, I couldn't wait to see the look on the prince's face.

"Oh, I'm so ready to help the prince eat all this curry! They all look so great!" Bard exclaimed with glee, rubbing his hands together.

"I'll say! I'm sure my large stomach will be able to compensate for my 'pea-sized' brain, eh, Bard?" Finny brought up again, getting into the American man's face.

"Please, don't fight! It was already hard enough to calm you two down again, it was!" Mey-Rin raised her hands in an attempt to get them composed.

I heard the door opening just then and everyone grew silent to see Sebastian taking Prince Soma into the kitchen.

"As you can see, I have already prepared several different types of curry. Please try them all and select which one resembles Agni's curry the most," Sebastian presented proudly to the gawking prince.

Soma's disbelief didn't cease. "Y-you made all this, alone?!"

Sebastian nodded with a grin. "Yes I did, prince."

Soma looked suspicious and turned around to point at me. "_You_ must've helped him right? Seeing as you two are inseparable and all!"

The three servants made 'ooh' sounds and I merely laughed. "You think someone like me would dare touch those disgusting spices? I can hardly believe I'm able to stand without vomiting right now, no offense to you Sebastian." I assured him with a smile.

He merely smirked as usual. "Please, if you had offended me, I would have taken it as a spiteful comment."

He then took up a plate and poured a serving of one of the various curries. "Now, Prince Soma, I would appreciate if you would collaborate with me in finding the best match against Agni."

The prince looked at the ample amounts of curry with some apprehension. "I…I'm not sure if I'm able to stomach all this myself."

"Do not worry, for we have three faithful volunteers who would love to help you in consuming the curry."

"Ho, ho, ho," Tanaka appeared in the corner of the kitchen, kneeling and sipping green tea as per usual.

"And of course Sir Tanaka will aid us too," Sebastian added, acknowledging the old man.

Soma then narrowed his eyes at me. "And I presume _you _won't be eating any?"

I faked a cough and acted weak. "I'm sorry, I'm deathly allergic."

Soma scoffed at me, but seeing that everyone else was willing to help, he gained confidence. "Alright! I'll do what I can and eat all the curry if I must!"

Sebastian sent a sideways glance at me and I smiled. "Well, time to spice things up!" I commented and the butler merely rolled his eyes.

So the curry-tasting started promptly, and of course, several of the results weren't to Soma's expectations at all. He either complained that a dish was too spicy, one did not have the familiar scent of Agni's, one was _not_ spicy enough, and many other detailed objections. Although I had refused to consume any curry, seeing that my body would reject it anyway, I was willing to spoon out and serve the curries to all five of the tasters while Sebastian was busy making plenty of adjustments.

Then finally, there was one dish that took one step closer to the desired result.

"I can't eat anymore…I feel like there's curry stuck in my throat…" Soma whined, resting his head on the table.

"Here is the next curry, Cardamom with garlic," Sebastian brought out the next plate for the prince, completely ignoring Soma's complaint.

Prince Soma's eyes widened at seeing this particular dish and did not hesitate to taste it right away. Once he did, I noticed the prince pause and look as if he was entering some kind of trance. Either way, it seemed Sebastian had finally gotten something right.

"Agni…" I heard the prince utter unconsciously.

Sebastian raised his eyebrow in question. "Prince? What are you thinking?"

He looked up at the butler as if he was still dazed, but answered, "This…this curry is very close to Agni's curry!"

The four Phantomhive servants cheered the butler on as the demon continued to listen intently to what the prince had to say next.

"But it still lacks something that Agni's curry has. Something is…something is not right!"

Sebastian frowned and exchanged confused glances with me before turning back to the royal. "Something is…what? Could you be a little more specific, prince?"

"Umm…well…"

Out of nowhere, a loud howl erupted outside and managed to shake the mansion a little. My eyes widened, knowing the exact cause of that sound.

"W-what was that?" Soma questioned, attempting to stand up and check the window.

I quickly intervened in front of the prince and forced a grin. "No, no prince, it's nothing you need to be concerned with. What you need to do is continue helping Sebastian. I'll go take care of it."

"A-Are you su-"

"Yes!" I interjected right away and pushed him back onto his chair. I then approached Sebastian, who nodded to me in agreement.

"I'll go…in place of the…um…'loopy' Finny," I whispered, catching a quick look at the blonde boy grinning like he was the happiest person in the world.

He turned to one of the cupboards and took out a familiar box of dog treats, placing it in my hands. "Be careful with him," he said with a serious tone.

I nodded and looked back to see Soma give a curious gaze before hurrying out the door and out to where the troublesome Devil Dog resided.

* * *

I could tell it was dusk when I appeared outside, seeing that the sun was in the process of setting. In the meantime, I had to find Pluto quickly before he caused more of a ruckus.

"Pluto! Pluto, where are you? I have your favorite treat!" I hollered into the vacant courtyard, wondering where that mutt could have gone too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him racing out from the other side of the manor and into the dark forest. I growled and used my vampire speed to get to him just as fast. In no time I had caught up to him and thankfully, he was in his human form.

Oh wait, that wasn't good either, considering I had to see him nude again. Never mind, it could have been worse.

I kneeled to the ground, reaching a cautious hand out to him. "Come now, Pluto, why are you so upset?"

The mutt refused to come to me and instead crawled towards a certain bush, barking at the greenery like his life depended on it.

I furrowed my eyebrows and approached the bush, curious of what could be irritating the hound. The answer occurred to me when I heard a soft, delicate sound.

It sounded like it was a baby kitten meowing. I gasped and leaned down over the bush, trying to find the poor creature. All the while, Pluto was protesting and barking even louder.

I turned, my eyes glowing red in anger. "Pluto, keep quiet. I mean it."

He merely gave an annoying whine and pouted, pawing at the ground impatiently.

I pushed the leaves and branches aside until I saw the lost kitten, looking up at me with cloudy gray eyes that looked so innocent, I thought I was going to melt right there.

"Aw…you poor baby," I cooed and gently carried the kitten into my arms. The cat meowed and scratched me, leaving tiny claw marks that oozed sticky drops of blood before healing in the next second.

My eyes burned red again and I licked my lips slowly. No, I couldn't feed right now…

I turned to Pluto, who whined and bowed his head. I narrowed my eyes at his strange behavior towards me, but then realized that my eyes hadn't changed back to their original color yet.

I smiled at him. "It's alright Pluto. Anyway, why did you have to go chasing after this little kitten?" I shook my head, already knowing the answer. "I guess dogs never change…"

Pluto suddenly began growling again, hearing something that I couldn't hear just yet.

"What's wrong? Plu-"

Finally, my ears were able to pick up the abstract sound in the next second. It made me freeze and almost crush the kitten in my own bare hand until I heard its protesting meows.

I eased my grip but my body temperature grew colder than it already was. I hoped…hoped like hell that it wouldn't come closer.

A few distant rustles and a swift breeze later, the sound ceased and whatever it was vanished.

Pluto grew calmer then and nudged against my leg. It took me a few minutes to compose myself before I peered down to see that the hound wanted the dog treats in my other hand.

I rolled my eyes and began walking back to his shed, with him following like a bratty child.

"Come Pluto, I'll give you your treats_ after_ you get back in the comfy shed, alright?"

Although I acted unperturbed, in the back of my mind, that intruding creature still haunted my thoughts. It was _him. _I could recognize _his _scent anywhere.

Just like he had said on that day he found me and used me like I was still his toy. He always knew where I was. I couldn't escape him.

* * *

For once, the revolting smell of curry was actually quite welcoming to me as soon as I returned after setting Pluto back into his place. The warmth from the hot food and the sight of Sebastian working on another pot of curry set my frazzled mind to peace again.

I still had a certain someone in my hand and placed him behind my back, approaching the demon calmly.

"I'm back, Sebastian. And there are no more dog treats. Pluto wouldn't listen till I gave him every single bone in there," I informed the butler and he sighed heavily.

"Dogs are such hideous creatures. Oh well, that means we'll have to stock up on more now, won't we?" he said, tasting a bit of the curry from a spoon before adding more ingredients.

"So…what was it that Prince Soma thought was missing?" I asked him as he concentrated hard on what to do with the particular batch.

"Depth, he says it lacks substance. Honestly, it's such a vague request; it almost threatens my patience with this," Sebastian answered with his eyebrows knotted in irritation.

I looked towards the five volunteers and noticed that the prince and the three 'idiots' had passed out in a premature curry hangover. Tanaka, however, seemed to continue eating curry in a casual manner.

"Janelle, what is it that you are hiding behind your back?" Sebastian asked without looking away from his pot.

I pouted. "Aw…I wanted it to be a surprise. Apparently, this little guy was the culprit of Pluto's minor rage."

Sebastian heard me cooing like a baby and he turned around, only to drop the ladle he was holding back in the pot, his gloved hand frozen in the air.

"Isn't he adorable? He's got the most beautiful-Sebastian? Hey, what's wrong?" I looked up from the kitten to see something that I thought would never cross the demon butler's face.

He was blushing like some love-sick teenager in an old school neighborhood, his crimson eyes glittering in pure love and bliss at the innocent creature. Dear lord, I never thought I would see the day.

He then came closer to me and reached both of his hands out. "M-may I?" he asked tentatively.

My mouth opened slightly. Oh dear, now he was stuttering. Who is this guy?!

"S-sure thing, Sebastian. I was thinking of giving him to you as a present anyway…" I replied, handing him the fuzzy animal. I couldn't help but feel a bit envious that the kitten was receiving such serene affection from a butler that was actually demonic on the inside.

He grasped the kitten gently into his arms and then looked up at me with those star-struck eyes. "Truly? You would give this precious kitten to me?"

I cringed. "Okay Sebastian, please snap out of it. This isn't like you at all."

The butler furrowed his eyebrows at my request until the blush on his face disappeared like it never existed and the twinkle in his eyes evolved to the usual devilish stare.

"Forgive me, Janelle. I was merely swept away by this_ gorgeous_ creature," he replied with his close-eyed grin, caressing the kitten's fur.

"Yeah…I could see that. I didn't realize you loved kittens so much."

"Oh, Janelle, if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I adore cats, and _detest _dogs," he stated plainly, setting down the kitten near his feet.

I smiled. "I'll definitely remember that fact."

An amusing thought crossed the demon's mind. "Giving me this kitten as a gift, I believe you just stole my heart, Janelle," he stated with a pleased smirk.

My face grew warm slightly. "I-I did? Just like that?"

"If I _had _a heart anyway," the butler teased and I punched him playfully in the arm.

"I knew it. Now that's the old Sebastian I know," I muttered to myself.

After a few moments of silence, a most random thought struck me.

"Sebastian, you told me before that human food tasted bland to you, but you are able to distinguish it now?"

"Yes. I've toyed with these ingredients so much, I know them all inside and out," he replied with indifference.

I thought some more and then asked in a whisper, "So…since you're a demon, and obviously you don't eat human food…what _do _you eat then?"

Sebastian snickered at my simpleminded question and I frowned. "What's so funny?"

"I did not realize you had a clueless side, Janelle," he chuckled with a hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Well, only with _this_. I know many other things," I protested in slight embarrassment.

He then leaned down to me, his mouth nearing my ear. "My dear, we demons eat _souls_."

After hearing that bold declaration, I gave a quiet 'oh' in understanding and he pulled away. I then put two and two together and came to a conclusion. "So is that why you're a butler in disguise? Don't tell me…"

"You're thinking is correct, Janelle." He turned to me with another look I hadn't seen before, a look that was most dark and frightened me to my core. His red eyes seemed to look like pools of blood. "I am after the Young Master's soul."

I glanced to the five humans lying on the floor and the butler chuckled. "Don't worry, they're fast asleep and can't hear us. And Tanaka is merely in his meditation stage now. He won't know what we say…" Sebastian stated with a finger to his lips.

"So, is that why you heed the master's every order? No matter what it may be?" I asked, now fully understanding their mysterious relationship.

"Yes, my dear. We are bound by a contract." He then lowered his ladle, pulling his left glove off with his teeth to show me the pentacle symbol that I had only seen once a while ago.

"Until the Young Master fulfills his duty, I am tied to him in every way. He is the one that I hold my upmost dedication to."

I pursed my lips together in thought as he slipped on his glove and continued back to work.

"Why were you willing to tell me all this? Wouldn't you be wary that I may spill the secret to someone else?"

"If I had known that, you'd think I wouldn't have said anything. But I did. You finish the puzzle."

"So…you trust me then?"

He turned to me with a sly smile. "To an extent. Of course, I'd have to kill you and any of those you dare told about our secret, if that would ever occur."

I shrugged. "Hmph, I wouldn't mind dying actually…especially if you were the one to kill me."

He smirked at me in amusement. "Is that so? Then I would _not _want to kill you. I wouldn't want to give you such happiness."

"Oh, you don't? You don't want me to be happy?" I questioned him, confused by his logic.

He stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I'd rather keep you alive to toy with myself."

For some reason, that almost sounded like some sort of twisted confession. It left me speechless for a bit, before I came up with my own response. "Then…if that were to happen…" I looked away, turning my back to him. "I'm…all yours…"

I didn't dare turn around, in fear of what he would say or react. But what I missed was a slightly shocked and amused look on Sebastian's face. He chose to say nothing after that and I chose to kneel to the ground, petting the small kitten and trying to erase what I said.

"You know, he has such beautiful brown fur, this little one. It almost reminds me of…chocolate."

Chocolate. The word reminded Sebastian of the dessert he still needed to make for his lord.

"Sebastian, would it be okay if I named him Cocoa?" I asked, holding the baby cat in my arms.

He scoffed. "Cocoa? I don't see why not. I don't particularly mind what you call-" The demon butler cut himself off as a sudden epiphany hit him square in the head.

I narrowed my eyes at him in question and the smirk on his face grew wider.

"That's brilliant. I believe that name for the kitten has just helped me solve this 'depth' issue with the curry."

"What is it? What are you going to add this time Sebastian?" I wondered.

He reached his hand out to grasp a bar of chocolate that waited for him on the counter top. "What else could be better to bring out substance than the natural version of cocoa?"

The kitten in my arms meowed in response and Sebastian's affectionate smile returned.

"You see? I always knew cats were more cunning than dogs could ever be."


	19. New Horizon

**3 in the freakin' morning, whoo! One of the many things aspiring writers are capable of: Being able to write for hours on end! XD**

**Oh my god, thank you SO freakin' much to _NinjaChipmunk_ for being my awesome first review (I liked yours; it cheered me up greatly after thinking that I was chopped liver or something, haha! :P) AND to _VampireSiren_ for being so flippin' fantastic (I really liked that you reviewed for more than one of the chapters; your comments made me extremely happy as well :D)**

**This chapter was kind of a pain in the ass since I was trying to make the final part of the curry arc not too boring while adding in my own little spin to it. But overall, nothing makes me happier than writing...well other than family, but I digress. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The day of the curry contest had finally come. We all arrived at the Empire of the Crystal Palace, a place where I had never been before. That was pretty obvious anyway, considering my not so decent travels in the darker side of society in comparison to now.

Spending a day outside beyond the Phantomhive territory was refreshing for a change, but I couldn't help feeling slight anxiety upon entering the extravagant looking palace. The ceiling of the broad building was so high and the people already gathered for the curry event were all dressed in fancy English dresses and suits.

All of a sudden, I felt strangely out of place, unlike when I was among the common folk in downtown London.

"Wow! Incredible! Look everyone; it's a real-life elephant!" Finny exclaimed in excitement, his eyes twinkling. The two other servants and Prince Soma followed as the blonde boy raced towards the large mammal that was part of the Indian cultural exhibition.

"In my country, elephants are known as a sacred animal. In fact, I have about ten of them inside my palace," I heard the prince announce to the three servants.

"What?! How on earth are you able to fit such large animals inside your home?!" Mey-Rin shrieked in astonishment.

"I know right? We can hardly fit the damn guard dog back at the manor!" Bard added, nudging the maid in the arm.

I chose to stay beside Sebastian and his master while the four continued exploring the exhibition.

"Please try not to wander off too far," Sebastian warned the group with a stern expression, seeing that they were getting a bit overly hyped.

"Hello there, Earl!" A familiar voice called and Ciel's attention turned to the Chinese trader, who had a petite and voluptuous Asian woman nestled between his arms and lap.

Ciel looked slightly disturbed by the random appearance of the two. "You insist on bringing one of your girls in a place like this?" he questioned.

"Why ever not? Ranmao is my sister, though we are not blood-related, and I thought I ought to treat her to curry. I heard they would serve some during the contest after all!"

Ciel began to walk on with disinterest and Lau hopped up from his seat to continue their conversation. Meanwhile, Sebastian remained by his master's side as usual, and while listening to what the two nobles were saying, he felt his arm being grasped by a cold delicate hand and then pressed against a woman's chest. He quirked an eyebrow at the sudden contact and gazed to his side to see that I was clinging to his arm rather tightly.

He narrowed his eyes at my odd behavior, noticing that I was trembling like I was scared.

"Janelle? Why are you holding on to me?" he asked me with some amusement.

I didn't look at him just yet; instead, I was gazing at the groups of other nobles gathering around and chatting like the rich, happy-go-lucky people they were. Couples were holding hands, friends were joking with each other, and overall, something inside me stirred up a familiar stabbing pain that had been lingering within me for so long. I felt strangely isolated and colder.

"Janelle? Can you hear me? What is the matter?" Sebastian continued to question me, his eyebrows furrowed in slight concern.

Only then did I snap out of my temporary bubble and I looked up in surprise. "Sebastian…did you say something?"

"You're acting a bit strangely…and you're shaking," he pointed out to me.

"Huh? Oh…I am…" I then noticed that I had unconsciously held onto the first person next to me and released him immediately. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that!"

He watched me rubbing my left arm like I was nervous, and noticed my face grew saddened as I looked off into the distance and tried to ignore the joyful people around me. His mind soon registered the reason behind my insecure behavior and he smirked at the thought. For some reason, he liked seeing this weak and vulnerable side of me. So many ravenous ideas swarmed in his mind at the thought of corrupting and dominating me in any way he pleased.

But setting aside the more inappropriate ones and deciding on a more 'civilized human' approach, his gloved hand reached for my icy fingers and intertwined his with mine, bringing me back to him.

"There was no need for an apology. I wasn't bothered by that at all. In fact, please continue to do so," he said with his usual smirk, granting me permission to cling to his arm again.

"Umm…alright, th-thank you…" I said with a fumbled mind and pressed myself closer against his side. His body warmth surged through my skin and granted me instant comfort and security, something I needed.

"I guess I'm a little pathetic aren't I? Having to hold on to someone just because I feel…" I trailed off with a bitter laugh and a grim expression.

Sebastian glared and stopped in his tracks. I gulped, half expecting that he was going to scold me or slap me in the face. I looked up at him apprehensively, seeing that his crimson eyes were hard and cold. But his next action spoke otherwise.

His warm hand caressed my cold cheek softly, before giving me a small but strong pinch. "If you ever say anything negative about yourself again, I swear that I will lock you up in my room for all eternity when we return home." He then smirked again as another thought crossed his mind. "And you may or may not like what I will do to you then."

My mouth had dropped open slightly at his bold and seemingly brash statement. "Oh yeah? So then I'll be your prisoner, Sebastian, is that what you want?"

He chuckled. "The notion is quite tempting…and fun, wouldn't you agree?"

I almost began to smile, but then stopped when a thought struck me. "But then I'm hardly ever optimistic. Do you know how hard it would be for me? You know I'm going to lose either way."

The smirk on his face only grew wider. "That's exactly the point. So in a way, you are already mine before you even say a word. I'm quite positive you're thinking negatively in your head as we speak."

"You don't know _everything_ that goes on in my head," I tried to convince him otherwise.

"Oh I don't? By any chance, do_ I_ often infiltrate your rain cloud of a mind?" he teased, seeing that he spoke the truth by just looking into my eyes.

I chose silence after his words and looked to the ground, my arm beginning to loosen its grip on him. In response, he pulled me in tighter and brushed the hair draping on the side of my forehead. "I wish you wouldn't hide yourself in that cloak of yours. You can't escape me, Janelle."

I looked up at him with knotted eyebrows. "I'm not trying to hide from you, I'm hiding from-"

"Everyone else? I already know. But the fact remains clear; you cannot escape me," he repeated with a close-eyed smile.

I didn't say anything to him at first. Why did he always seem to be the one who crossed into my boundaries and probed at my heart like it was some toy? It was as if his demonic hands had me in his clutches, fiddling with my feelings and squeezing the life-sustaining organ in his hands. More importantly, I was_ letting _him, even though I knew better. Or maybe, I didn't know anything at all.

"Then don't lose me Sebastian…" I replied in a quiet tone. "…Because you're the only one who can see me."

He grew pleased after hearing me say that and I grasped onto him more tightly. From then on, we walked side by side and met up with his master, acting like we hadn't said a thing.

"Well now, if it isn't Earl Phantomhive!" Another stray voice entered the scene and we all turned to see a sharp-looking businessman striding towards the Young Master.

Ciel merely acknowledged him with a nod as the businessman continued chatting. "It's a pleasure to see you again Earl! I don't believe we've met since last year's social events, yes? And you haven't changed a bit!"

"I could say the same to you, Lord West," Ciel said flatly, his face showing indifference.

"You're competing today in the contest aren't you?"

"Yes, I plan to expand my business into the food industry."

Mr. West kept a smug smile. "I was rather surprised to hear that you were participating, but I assure you, my company will not lose, for we have a curry specialist on our side!"

Behind the scenes, Soma had stopped by a nearby palm tree and was listening to what Harold West had to say along with the servants, who looked at the prince with concern.

The businessman than began to murmur something meant only for Ciel to hear, but considering that Sebastian and I weren't human, we managed to hear every word he uttered.

"Goodness, Sebastian, you must have scared the living wits out of him," I muttered to the demon butler and he smiled and whispered back.

"If only you were there, for I was 'one hell of a deer' for a brief moment," Sebastian stated with clear humor.

I snickered. "I don't know what that means, but for some reason, I'm imagining you as a deer right now."

"Exactly, I had to use a deer's head as a disguise," Sebastian answered and appreciated my immediate reaction of holding back laughter.

"Oh god, I so happen to _feed _on that animal…what a joke…" I tried to say through muffled chuckles.

"You realize the Queen will be here, no? It isn't often that she appears in public since King Albert passed away." Mr. West went on with a cocky tone. "I'd like her to taste the award-winning curry we are so proud of before I take home the Royal Warrant."

I sneered at him in disgust, and thankfully, women like me were invisible to his eyes.

"Oh dear, this chat has gone on for too long. I shall see you later, Earl." With that, the overconfident man finally left as quickly as he came, leaving us to scoff at his boasting.

"Well now, he certainly thinks that he will win. It'll be amusing to see his face when he loses. Isn't that right, Sebastian?" Ciel turned towards his butler with a knowing gaze.

I let the butler go as he bowed to his master. "Yes, my lord. In that case, I shall head to the competitor's room."

Ciel nodded for him to leave and Sebastian turned to me. "I'll be off now, dear. Stay beside my lord."

"Alright, good luc—I mean, knock 'em dead. I'll be watching," I replied with a smile.

He smirked. "If that previous statement were literal, it would be quite simple. And entertaining."

I laughed at his true words and waved him off before he disappeared from sight.

* * *

The introductions were made for both the judges and the competitors once we gathered before a stage with several individual work spaces for the chefs and a certain lone butler.

To my immediate horror and disgust, the Viscount of Druitt so happened to be one of the judges. And here I had hoped I would _never_ see his sparkling face again. As if I wasn't hidden enough, I pulled the hood of my cloak further over my face. Standing beside Ciel, I noticed that he also wore a similar expression of discontent. I didn't blame him; the guy was a total creep behind his angel-like façade.

Once the competitors were all properly introduced to the audience, the contest began and they immediately set to work on their curries, tossing in spices and chopping up ingredients with rapid speed.

"Whoa! Check it out!" a random person shouted and we all turned our attention to the Indian butler on stage. He was adding in ingredients swiftly like it was second nature to him, a determined expression set on his face.

"Wow that Indian's hand seems to have a life of its own!"

"What an amazing smell!" Another audience member piped in.

"Hey, but look over there!" Someone else pointed out.

The audience now had their attention on the Phantomhive butler, who was working just as well, if not more.

"The Funtom Company is also amazing!"

"Yeah, and so is the smell!" the other kept repeating.

Several reactions followed in the like, especially when Sebastian added the ultimate ingredient of Funtom's chocolate into his pot. That obviously sparked immediate controversy and doubt towards his skills in creating curry.

I heard Harold West laughing at that. "As expected from a company that only makes toys and sweets! This must be a new form of advertising!"

Moving along, Agni whipped out his own spiffy ingredient, which so happened to be a blue lobster. Similar astonishment ensued, including an illustrious speech from the Viscount about the azure crustacean being compared to a 'beautiful woman in a blue dress.' Wow, I sure didn't see that comment coming.

Once again, Harold West went on boasting about Agni's 'Right Hand of God' and how he was going to win in no time. That guy really didn't know how to shut up.

I then narrowed my eyes at what Sebastian was doing next and, to my surprise, saw him kneading bread in his hands. I was confused, but then figured, was this part of his secret plan that Lau had thought was under his sleeve? That was the only thing I could think of, other than thinking, 'What the hell?'

"This is bad!" Soma exclaimed in alarm and Ciel, Lau, and I turned to him. "We are going to lose this competition!"

Ciel and I looked at him in confusion and Lau piped in. "How so?" he asked with his hands stuffed casually in his sleeves.

Soma then went on to explain that preparing bread at such high heat without the proper facilities would dry out in no time and thus lead the curry to becoming a huge waste.

"As I thought, one week to master the art of curry was not enough! There's no way he can beat-AHH!"

This time I had thumped the prince on the back of his head, making him lean over in pain. He turned to me with harsh gold eyes, rubbing his head in a furious manner. "Would you quit inflicting pain on me every time I'm trying to say something?!" he demanded, taking the side of my cloak and pulling me closer to growl in my face.

"I only do that whenever you doubt Sebastian."

"Oh well, my apologies for speaking the_ truth_! Your precious man is doomed with the improvising that he is doing!" Soma barked in my face.

"Improvising? You are mistaken. Sebastian always knows what he is doing beforehand," Ciel stated plainly and concentrated on the contest.

In the meantime, I scoffed at Soma and pushed him off me. "What did you just call him? He is _not _my man!" I protested.

"Oh yeah? That's a total lie! What is he to you then, why do you keep hurting me whenever you think I doubt him?!" Soma pressed, making me feel uncomfortable.

"I…he…" I growled in aggravation. "Would we please get off this topic?"

I heard Lau chuckling on the side, and knowing his way with the ladies, I was afraid of what he'd say next.

"It seems your lovely tutor cares deeply for your butler, Earl," Lau stated without holding back.

Ciel's eyebrow twitched and he placed a hand to his forehead with a heavy sigh. "Enough of this nonsense and get serious here. This is not the time to talk about such trivial matters."

Lau merely chuckled and obeyed, clinging onto Ranmao. All the while, I was dying in humiliation at the thought that Ciel might have known what I truly felt, or denied to feel.

"If anyone has a sword, please be so kind as to stab me senseless…" I muttered to myself, hiding my face in shame.

I then felt a hand rest on my back and cautiously looked up to see Soma, only with a warm smile on his face this time.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Janelle. I'm sure that he cares about you just as much," Soma said softly to me, patting my back in comfort.

I shook my head. "Please don't say that…"

"Why do you keep pushing away what you feel?" Soma furrowed his eyebrows at me.

I didn't answer him and he sighed, deciding well in not pressing the matter any further.

_I don't know why, but all I do know, is that I can't… _I thought to myself and once again, locked away my feelings, hoping they would die.

* * *

The contest was finished in due time, and now was the moment of judgment. As expected, the other competitors' curries, though praised for their best efforts, did not match up to what Agni and Sebastian would bring to the table. They were criticized for using curry powder, going overboard with the spices, no smell, and so forth.

As Agni presented his curry, which contained the blue lobster and seven types of curry, the judges were immediately blown away.

"D-delicious! The meat of the lobster has the perfect texture and the subtle sweet flavor that comes with it simply overtakes the taste buds!" one of the judges exclaimed in delighted shock.

The Viscount, as per usual, exploded in a burst of ecstasy and once again, was seeing a vision of a most elegant woman while detailing every part of her, from her clothes to her jewelry.

"With seven precious stones wrapped around you…by you my heart has been stolen!" the Viscount stated dramatically as if he were to faint. "This is simply the best curry I've ever tasted!"

Agni bowed in appreciation and then left so that Sebastian could present his dish.

"Alright, next up is the last contestant representing the Funtom Company!" the host announced.

Sebastian stepped up to the stage and once he unveiled his curry, the judges were lost for words. For what they saw before them, was a simple uncooked bun.

"What is this white thing? What are you trying to pull here?" one of the judges snapped.

Sebastian simply carried on with what he was doing. He placed the dough into a frying pan and once it was finished, he pulled it out to present the deep fried bun.

"So? Where is the curry?" the same judge demanded.

"Wait a moment, this is…" the Viscount noticed something and cut open the bun with his utensils. He gazed in astonishment as he realized that the curry was on the inside.

On the sidelines, Agni and Harold West looked on in complete shock.

"Our company proudly presents to you this special curry. It is called, 'The Curry Doughnut,'" Sebastian stated proudly.

The audience responded in amazement, and once the judges had a taste of Sebastian's creation, their responses were most favorable.

"This is absolutely astounding! The taste literally explodes in the mouth! The crispy exterior, the soft interior, and the sticky curry all combined forms a heavenly taste!"

"Indeed! In addition, the chunks of chicken are the perfect size! Simply amazing, there are no other words!"

Once the Viscount offered his unique, colorful praise, I noticed Ciel shivering in disgust once again.

"The young girl that I had seen at the ball…her beauty much like a serene robin flying into the sky…I want to hold you so tightly!"

I was so deathly curious towards why Ciel was acting so strongly, but knew better than to ask him about it.

"And now is the time for all of you folks to try out the curries for yourselves! Please enjoy and taste whatever you like while the judges come to a final decision," the host declared with enthusiasm and soon enough, the crowd dispersed to do so.

I chose to separate myself from the people, catching a needed breather from being among so many humans at once. The three Phantomhive servants seemed to be enjoying themselves as they instantly grabbed for Sebastian's creative curry invention.

"Yo Jane, why aren't ya tryin' some of Sebastian's curry? I thought you two were _close_," Bard went over to me, winking as he said the last few words.

I gave a guilty smile and shook my head. "No, sorry, but no matter how much I support him, curry is just not my thing…"

Bard frowned and took a bite of his curry doughnut. "Don't be such a party pooper," he said with his mouth full and crumbs flying everywhere.

I shrugged, agreeing with him. "Yeah. I know. I am a..." I then stopped myself, remembering what Sebastian had told me earlier about being negative and changed what I was about to say to something more humorous. "Come on Bard, would you rather I eat some of Sebastian's curry and then end up coughing it up on the spot? That would offend our dear butler and I wouldn't want to insult him so obviously like that."

Bard merely rolled his eyes, but nodded at my point. "Sure, sure I get it." He then waved to me once before joining with Finny and Mey-Rin.

I sighed, placing my hands on my hips while thinking to myself. Out of nowhere, someone crashed into me from behind and I toppled over a bit, catching my balance with my other foot. I turned around, glaring at the collision and saw that a young woman was coughing up a storm.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked with concern, kneeling down to her level.

I noticed the girl had the most beautiful brown hair I had ever seen, seeming to shine in the sun like warm coffee. Her hair was done in a French braid and when she looked up at me, I gasped at seeing eyes that were a shining peridot green.

She also equally looked astonished at seeing me and tried standing up. "I-I'm fine. I'm so sorry for bumping into you like that," she said with a soft voice.

"Here, let me help you, you shouldn't try to stand by yourself," I offered her a hand and she took it. My eyes narrowed when I realized that her hands were strangely cold, almost colder than mine.

Her gleaming eyes widened again when she touched me and immediately snatched her hand away when she managed to get on her feet. I looked at her in confusion, my hand left in midair.

"Is there a problem? Did I hurt you?" I asked,

"N-no…I just…" She looked up at me, with eyes that seemed to show a hint of shock. "It's you…" she whispered, confusing me even more.

"Excuse me? Do we know each other?" I questioned, trying to remember if we had ever met.

"No, no, we've never met before. Forgive me. That was a mere slip of my tongue…" she blurted, waving her hands.

"Oh…okay," I replied, still uncertain. "Are you sure you're alright then? I heard you coughing quite a bit before."

She nodded her head, her shiny hair looking silky as her braid swept to one side. "Thank you for your concern. But I'm alright."

"Are you sick? I don't blame you since it's cold in the winter," I said with a friendly smile.

She burst out laughing at that in a strange, exaggerated way, taking me aback. I laughed nervously along with her, not sure exactly what she thought was hilarious.

She brushed away what I said with a wave of her hand. "You're so silly! I never get sick!" She continued laughing like no tomorrow and I didn't know what to say to her.

_Wonder if she's okay upstairs, _I thought to myself, thinking of the possibility of a mental illness.

She suddenly ceased laughing as if she hadn't just done so, her eyes staring blankly at the ground. "No, no, Janelle, I'm just a little…" She grasped her throat. "Thirsty…"

My eyes widened at hearing what she was saying, a certain thought crossing my mind at the exact moment. "How do you know my name?" I asked her carefully.

She merely pointed back to the front of the stage. I followed her direction and noticed that the host was about to announce who had won the competition. I then furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and turned back, only to find that the mysterious girl was gone.

I looked around, trying to search for her among the crowd by scent, but failed. I came back to myself and went over what had just occurred. She had felt cold and she said she was thirsty. Of course, I could say I knew _exactly _how she felt if what I was thinking was the truth.

"…Harold West Company and Funtom Company! The competition has come to a tie!" I heard the host announce and turned to face the stage.

At that moment, the trophy in his hand was snatched out of nowhere and all of our attention turned to a white-clad man wearing what looked like goggles over his eyes. The strange man had taken the trophy with the whip in his hand.

"Please wait a moment," the man said and the rest of us then heard the galloping of a horse. The horse charged in and before the man could finish what he was saying, he was stampeded to the ground.

Behind the horse was the rider, which happened to be an elderly woman.

"Who's the weird ole grandma?" Bard asked in the air.

The answer came when Ciel came running up to the woman. "Your majesty! Why have you come here?!" the Young Master asked in shock.

The rest of us were also surprised, realizing that it was Queen Victoria in the flesh.

"Hello everyone," the queen greeted with a warm smile while the white-clad man slowly stood back up and helped the highness down from her horse as if he didn't just get run over.

"Thank you John," I heard the queen murmur before stepping towards the stage. "My, what an exciting show we have this year. It reminds me of the time I was with Albert back then on White Island…"

The queen suddenly broke down to the ground at the thought of him. "Oh Albert, how I miss eating curry with you!"

John kneeled to the ground, comforting her with a doll that I could only assume was supposed to be her late husband.

"Her Majesty seems like a complex character," Lau commented on the awkward situation.

"Don't talk like that in front of her," Ciel warned him.

The queen then stood back up, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief before composing herself back to normal.

"I have come, for I had received an invitation to be a judge. It is only fair that I have a say in this also." The queen walked over towards Sebastian and Agni. "Therefore, I choose…"

She took the trophy and handed it to the demon butler. "Funtom Company's Butler Sebastian, I hereby award you this."

Agni and Harold West were stunned by the results, West being more outraged whereas Agni seemed devastated.

"I demand an explanation for this! Why have you chosen such a ridiculous creation over our finest curry?!" Mr. West demanded of her.

Queen Victoria pointed towards the crowd enjoying the various curries and showed the difference between those who consumed Agni's curry and those who were eating Sebastian's.

"As you can see, Funtom's curry has taken into account the idea that utensils do not have to be used in order to enjoy curry. Everyone from the rich and poor, the children and the adults, all of Great Britain can enjoy this fine creation that will certainly pass on to the next century."

She gave a kind smile. "That is why, I highly approve of the fact that the Funtom Company has created a curry that looks toward the future. Thus, the victor is the Funtom Company!"

The audience applauded and the three Phantomhive servants cheered on Sebastian. Harold West had fallen to his knees in literal defeat, whereas Agni simply stood there in frozen shock.

"Any words to say to everyone, Chef Sebastian?" the queen offered.

Sebastian merely smirked. "I am no chef, your Majesty."

I smiled within the crowd, knowing exactly what he'd say next.

"I am simply one hell of a butler," he stated his signature line and finished with a graceful bow.

* * *

"I lost?" Agni said in disbelief and the queen looked at him with kindness.

"Not necessarily, Mr. Agni, for your curry is quite exceptional in itself. It is something that I would greatly enjoy back at the White Tower," the queen assured him.

Agni gave a sad but appreciative smile. "I am unworthy of such words…"

Meanwhile, Harold West was moping to himself about not winning the Royal Warrant in the end. At that moment, a certain woman came running up to him.

I then noticed Prince Soma spotting the woman with wide eyes of acknowledgement. "Meena!" he shouted and immediately rushed towards her.

The Indian woman turned to see Soma approaching her, his face showing surprise and happiness at seeing her.

"Prince…Soma?" Meena said with uncertainty.

"It's you! I finally found you!" Soma exclaimed and then pulled her into a tight embrace.

For some odd reason as I looked to Agni, he had an alarmed expression, as if seeing Meena was not meant to be.

The prince cried, the woman held close in his arms. "I've been looking everywhere for you! You must have been so worried when you were kidnapped to England. But it's alright now…I finally found you!" He then pulled away with tears in his eyes. "You don't have to worry any longer. Let's go back home together!" he told her with bliss.

I smiled at the scene, and I would have been deeply touched, until Meena said something that completely ruined the moment.

"Are you an idiot?!" Meena snapped in his face with a sneer.

Soma's eyes widened in shock at her harsh words and the Indian woman pushed him away.

"As if I want to go home with you, you're nothing but a spoiled brat! In fact, I chose to come to England! Do you realize how hard it was for me to finally get out of that godforsaken country?!" she spat in Soma's face.

Agni fell to his knees in despair and Sebastian knew the cause of his devastated reaction.

"You knew all along…didn't you?" Sebastian said to the Indian butler.

"I'm sick of looking after a selfish master like you!" Meena shouted once more.

I smelled a scent I knew far too well and noticed that Agni was crying actual tears of blood.

"No…I did not want this…I did not want the prince to find out about the truth this way!" he sobbed, his head bent towards the ground.

At first, I thought that Soma would burst out in sorrow just as Agni was doing, but what he said next made me see the prince in a whole new light.

"I'm sorry…" Soma said with a sad smile.

Agni's eyes snapped open in shock.

Soma's eyes grew downcast as he continued. "We were so close back then, but I never took the time to understand your true feelings, Meena. And for that, I am sorry for chasing after you…and…" The smile on his face was genuine and it didn't go away. "Thank you for everything up until now."

He then walked past Meena and from the looks of it, he was approaching Agni.

"In the past, I had always blamed everyone else for my problems. But I was wrong about everything. And there has only been one person who was loyal and considerate enough to cope with me and stay by my side no matter what."

Agni began to look up when he felt his prince draw near.

"Agni, you were always there, even when we were separated. I've given you nothing but trouble and I so deeply apologize. There is only one thing I wish to ask of you: Will you remain by my side, as my butler?"

Agni gazed up at the hopeful smile that Soma was giving him, and only then did true tears seep from his eyes.

"I will, Prince Soma," Agni accepted him, pure happiness flooding him with tears streaming down his face.

Everyone smiled at the heartwarming scene. The prince and his butler had finally reached a favorable conclusion.

* * *

Not too soon afterwards, the queen had taken her leave, promising the Royal Warrant to be sent to the Funtom Company straight away.

While Soma was giving his thanks to Ciel, I finally approached Sebastian, who turned to me with the trophy in his hand.

"Well now, I guess we all knew you'd be the winner in the end. But Mister Agni was quite impressive himself," I stated, pulling my hood down from my face.

He simply smirked and came closer to me, gently running a hand through my slightly tangled hair. "Admit it Janelle, you always thought I was superior to all."

I pouted in a joking manner. "Why must you always turn the tables on me, why can't you just take it as it is without me admitting anything?"

"Because hearing you say it is the best complement over anyone else," Sebastian replied for only me to hear.

I stared at him suspiciously. "You're joking aren't you?"

He shook his head, that sly smile still on his face. "I do not lie like humans do, Janelle, you know that already."

A smile began to appear on my face, but before I could say another word, Agni approached us and bowed onto his knees.

"Mister Sebastian, I do not know how I should apologize for everything," he stated with guilt.

I looked down at the Indian butler with a puzzled expression, wondering why he was saying such a thing. Sebastian kneeled down to Agni's level. "There is no need for apologies, Mister Agni."

Agni raised his head, shaking his head at himself with disapproval. "At first I thought that coming to England would be a disaster. But then I realized; the prince and I have learned so much from you all. And for that reason, I do not know how I can ever thank you."

Sebastian rose back to his feet. "You and I have simply fought for our own reasons. There is really no need to thank me."

I looked to the demon butler with a whole new admiration as he continued on. "Just as your Goddess Kali and Shiva both realized their faults through mutual pain, you and the prince have done the same."

Agni was shocked to hear Sebastian utter those words, before rubbing the back of his neck in slight bashfulness. "To have to be told about my homeland story by an Englishman such as you, it is a little embarrassing."

Sebastian shook his head. "It has nothing to do with England or India, Mister Agni. No matter where people go, they all face the same situations and experiences. Humans are all the same."

Agni nodded in agreement and in the next moment, the three of us heard Soma burst into loud sobbing as he grabbed onto Ciel from behind in a sloppy hug, crying over the loss of Meena.

The sun was setting upon us through the Crystal Palace and only then did I realize that perhaps the prince had gotten emotional after seeing such a mellow but beautiful sight. Poor prince, no matter how silly and ignorant he may have been, I didn't think he truly deserved such a sad rejection. But, at least he still had Agni.

The Indian butler chuckled and turned to both Sebastian and me. "It seems that the prince and I have truly made some good friends here in England."

I saw Sebastian's face turn to slight shock. "Friends, you say? That is the first time anyone has acknowledged me in such a way."

Agni continued smiling at him and then sighed in peace. "It truly is a wonderful sight…" he noted about the sunset before walking toward his prince, who was being pushed back by an annoyed Ciel.

Sebastian then felt a light nudge on his arm and turned to see my warm smile. "You're one hell of a butler _and _a motivational speaker? Sebastian, is there anything you _cannot _do for once?" I asked with an amused grin.

He turned to me, that sly smirk returning to his face. "I _cannot _wait for you to admit what you were about to before."

I frowned in irritation. "_That_ again? You already know it!"

"I seem to need some reassurance, dear."

"No!"

"Come now, don't make such a fuss."

"I said _no_!"

He then took my arm and pulled me against his hard chest, nearly crushing my nose. I gasped at the sudden contact, my face now pressed firmly against him as he placed a gentle hand on the back of my head.

"Sebastian…what are you doing? We're in plain view for everyone to see us," I said, feeling my body begin to warm up against his body heat. Although my face was slightly obscured from view, he could tell that I was beginning to blush.

"Let them see your humiliation," Sebastian teased, his hand sliding down to my waist.

"Just let me go…please," I begged, trying to pull away from him but failing as his iron grip kept me steady.

In the corner of his eye, Sebastian noticed that the others were preoccupied with discussing the day's events and therefore, weren't exactly paying us any mind. He took this opportunity to lean his head over me, his lips nearing my ear and uttering one word.

"_Never._"


	20. Poisonous Rage

**Oh, boy, I just couldn't wait anymore! I'm too excited ****_not_**** to post this chapter! I'm going to be working on chapter 21 right away as well, considering my prior assumption that this chapter would be just one part. But since it's a bit too long, I split it. **

**So this little arc is something that's part of my own plotline and is meant to deepen the relationship between Sebastian and Janelle. I'm not going to jump into the circus arc until, probably, chapter 23.**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews from ****_VampireSiren_****, ****_Savage Kill_****, and ****_Peanut sprite_****! **

**Response to ****_VampireSiren_****: I really liked your review on not minding if Janelle ripped the Viscount apart! XD The thought of her killing him never crossed my mind, but now that I think of it, I could totally imagine her ripping his 'glittery' little heart out, and not in a romantic sense either!**

**Response to ****_Savage Kill_****: When I read your review, I was clapping like a grinning idiot and proclaiming you as a genius! Your speculation is dead spot on and was ****_exactly_**** what I had had in mind beforehand! :D**

**Response to ****_Peanut sprite_****: Thanks for your thoughtful complements on my writing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

It was back to the routine and back on the streets again. But this time, I wasn't alone. Instead, a certain blonde full of energy and sunshine was bounding along my side. Every time he tried to get my attention, his excited pushes felt more like I was being bombarded by a full set of bricks. Not that I took it personally, but even as a vampire, it nearly _cracked_ my crystal-hard bones. I highly doubt it would ever happen, but given the chance, I would _never_ want to face this boy head on. I knew that for sure.

"I'm so happy Sebastian allowed me to go with you into town! I rarely get to explore down here that much! There's so many people…so many places to explore!" he exclaimed with joy, throwing an arm around my neck and causing me to be dragged down to his level.

I could hear my neck give a slight creak, but forced a laugh so as not to ruin the mood. "I'm happy that you're happy, Finny. But if you keep yanking my arm and/or grabbing me like you're doing now, I may just lose my head," I half-joked on the last part, grinning up at his innocent face.

The gardener didn't seem to take any offense, thankfully, for in the next second, he was distracted by the sight of a bakery up ahead.

"Janelle! Do you think we could buy some of these?! The croissants look absolutely delicious!" Finny stated while pressing his face and hands against the glass and taking some of the customers inside by surprise.

I shook my head with a chuckle, placing a hand on my hip. "But Finny, Sebastian can make croissants for you any time at home, no charge! Besides, we were given money specifically for the supplies we need only."

Finny's hands slipped down in slight disappointment and realization at the true facts. "Ooh, right…I forgot that Sebastian could do that…but still! These look so _good_…" The blonde slid horizontally against the glass window without keeping his eyes off the delectable pastries and aimed for the door.

"No, no, no, sweet tooth, we still have a few more supplies left to go through," I reminded him and dragged him along by the back of his shirt before he could even set foot in the store.

The gardener pouted a little, crossing his arms with his lips jutted out in a cute manner.

"Sebastian never makes us sweets anymore since we keep messing up our chores," I heard him mumble quietly to himself like a child.

After hearing his words, I instantly felt bad and turned around, making him face me. "Tell you what. How about _I _attempt to make some croissants for you some day? I may not be the best cook around, but I can at least follow a recipe…" I stated, tapping my chin in thought.

Finny clasped his hands together, his eyes shining in glee again. "You'd really do that for me, Janelle? As if I didn't like you enough as it is!"

"No worries, it's nothing. And if Sebastian gets mad at us, it'll be on me," I winked at him with a smile.

Finny shook his head, taking my right hand between his. "No! We can make them together! I swear I'll be good and really try hard not to mess up!"

I laughed again and ruffled his strawberry blonde hair. "Aww, it's a promise then."

With that, the blonde's short-lived sadness was overcome with joy and he was back to being a little ray of sunshine. While he continued sight-seeing, I couldn't help but think to myself. Out of all three servants, why did Sebastian choose Finny to come with me? Again, not that I minded at all, it was just mere curiosity…

_Approximately 55 minutes ago_

"Crud, we're running low on supplies again…shoot," Bard muttered, scratching at his newly-achieved afro from yet another infamous explosion.

"Well, if it weren't for your insistent need to set everything on fire, maybe we wouldn't be running into this problem all the time," I stated from behind him, getting used to seeing the familiar charred walls.

The American cook turned around to see me entering the blackened kitchen and gave a guilty smile.

"Oh great, thank god it's not Sebastian…yet. Oi, Janelle, mind doing me a quick favor?" he bent over and whispered.

I rolled my eyes with an amused expression. "You want me to go get new supplies."

"That's right missy, hope you don't mind, but you're usually pretty efficient with that," he said with a hopeful grin and passed me a pre-written shopping list.

Meanwhile, Mey-Rin was walking down the hallway with a huge load of soaked laundry brimming with an abundance of soap bubbles. Once the ex-sniper walked past the kitchen however, she froze in her tracks with a gapping mouth.

"Oh Bard, _not again_! Sebastian told you _not_ to use the flamethrower so many times, he did!" she scolded the cook.

Bard guffawed, pointing at the ridiculous amount of sopping white linen in her arms. "It's funny that you point out _my_ faults when clearly you've got your _own _problems!" he said between laughs and wrapped his arms around his abdomen.

Mey-Rin's face burned in embarrassment. "I...I only added two extra cups of detergent this time, I did! Normally I'd add six more on accident! I'd say that's more of an improvement than what you've done, it is!"

The cook sighed, holding up a relatively small grenade. "I swore these would pack an adequate punch this time…ah well, there's always-"

I jabbed a finger in his face. "Don't dare finish that sentence with 'next time.'"

Bard simply grinned wider and leaned down near my face in an attempt to intimidate me. "_Next time_, doll."

I growled in his face, before smiling as an idea hit me, and playfully bit his nose in the next second.

Bard yelped in pain, grabbing his nose in an instant. "Holy shi-that hurt, Janelle! That hurt _really _bad!"

I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed the awaiting supply basket. "You're lucky I didn't bite harder or otherwise you'd never smell properly again," I sang, swaying the basket at my side as I skipped merrily towards the exit.

He raised a fist in the air, his other hand still keeping a firm grasp on his nose. "You won't get away with that, Jane! You better sleep with one eye open 'cause you may end up losin' a leg in your sleep!"

"Hah! Who says I sleep?" I hollered back and just as I turned around, my own nose was crushed from crashing into a familiar hard chest.

The person's gloved hands grasped my bare shoulders steady and I looked up to see Sebastian's crimson eyes piercing into my deep blue orbs.

"And where do you think you're going dear?" he asked, raising a perfect brow.

I gave a casual smile and stepped past him. "Out to get Bard's supplies."

But before I could even enter the hallway, a pair of strong, warm arms engulfed me from behind and I found myself forcefully pulled back and held secure against Sebastian's chest.

"Oh no, you don't…not alone at least," he whispered with a hint of allure in his voice.

The monster side of me seemed to find great pleasure at being held 'captive' in his arms, the inside of me rumbling with a dormant desire that most definitely would awaken the longer he held me like this.

"Then what do you propose I do? The others have their own chores to attend to, don't they?" I hissed quietly, fighting back what I was feeling.

He merely turned me around and returned his hands onto my shoulders. "Who would like to accompany Janelle in getting a fresh batch of supplies?"

The American cook paused in lighting his cigarette and dropped his match when he raised his hand. "Oh, I'll go! I know exactly what we need, after all, and am capable of protecting the fair damsel while I'm at it!"

I was about to object at being called a 'damsel' until I saw a brief flash of what looked like malice, or even possessiveness, shown in Sebastian's blood red eyes before masking it with his close-eyed smile.

"I think not. Bard, you have made a horrendous wreck with the kitchen and it must be cleaned up straight away. No exceptions," the demon butler stated with fake sweetness.

Bard scratched his head in confusion and was about to say something until the demon stared him down to obedience. As soon as the cook began picking up the useless scraps on the ground, the butler turned to Mey-Rin, who gave an apprehensive smile.

"I-I would be glad to accompany Janelle, yes. B-but…"

"You have made yet another blunder…oh dear…" Sebastian trailed off, sighing heavily.

The familiar chortle of Tanaka broke the silence at that moment and the four of us turned to see that the old steward had appeared out of nowhere with his Japanese teacup in hand.

"Well, Tanaka certainly cannot go with you. Hmm…oh, Finny, of course. He shall escort you then," Sebastian declared and took me out the kitchen and down the hall with his arm wrapped around my waist.

I guess I couldn't stop him, knowing how stubborn the demon could be if he so chose.

* * *

About a quick ten minutes and a hyperactive Finny later, the two of us had finally finished getting the large load of supplies that, hopefully, would not get burned or distorted any time soon. Of course, that hope was laughable and useless with a trigger-happy cook around.

"That's really nice of you to hold those heavy sacks for me, Finny. Though, are you sure that I shouldn't carry at least one?" I asked, very much willing to help him since it wouldn't be trouble for me at all.

The sacks were heaved over his shoulder in an effortless fashion and he shook his head with continued determination. "Nope, I'm perfectly capable of carrying everything! I'm not about to allow a delicate woman like you bother with something this strenuous."

I chuckled lightly at that, tugging at a few strands of my hair. "Actually, I'm really not all that delicate…"

"Sebastian seems to worry much about you though," Finny pointed out casually.

A hint of pink appeared on my cheeks and I turned to him with a shy smile. "You really think that's true?"

"I may be wrong, but…he acts differently around you. He seems, I dunno, happier, don't you think?" Finny beamed at me like the carefree young man he was.

My eyes widened in wonder and a smile of my own appeared on my face. Whether or not Finny's speculations were true, the possibility that Sebastian was happy because of me made me feel more…alive. For once in a long time, I felt like the last hidden part of me that had been locked away ever since Percival broke me, may have begun to emerge.

"Is that so…somehow, I feel like I can open up more to you and everyone else at the Phantomhive manor. I suppose…I'm happier too," I admitted with a genuine grin.

Finny laughed and gave me an intended gentle nudge, when in actuality; it pushed me a few feet to the right. "It seems everyone has found peace under the wing of both the Young Master and Sebastian! Let's always be together as a family, what do you say?" he asked with such exuberance.

I chuckled as well, though a pang of uncertainty flooded me at the thought of staying as a family with them forever. As beautiful and joyful a vision it seemed to be, I didn't know if I would be able to with the lingering issues that remained unresolved. I had a certain parasite in my life, clinging to me like a malignant disease. I wasn't sure if it would ever go away.

I shook my head at my inner thoughts. Regardless, I had to remind myself to stay positive. No matter what, I had to stay in the present and cherish what was given to me now. For in this one moment in my life, I at least had some physical distance from the monsters that haunted me.

Or so it seemed, for what occurred in a dangerous blur later, kidnapped all hope from me. Though I wouldn't dare show it, it terrorized me to no end.

While Finny and I were hastily making our return home, a small commotion was occurring ahead of us with a crowd beginning to form. To the gardener's impending excitement, he saw that a young man was selling puppies to people in town.

"Step right up folks! We've a variety of lost puppies here that desperately need a home! Please do come around and have a look-see!" the man hollered with his hands cupped around his mouth while a young woman beside him was holding up puppies in her arms to aid in the advertisement.

"Ooh, look, look! Those little puppies are so adorable! Please, Janelle, can we seem them, please, please, please?!" Finny begged with the best 'puppy-eyed' look he could muster.

I sighed and narrowed my eyes at him sternly. "We cannot, Finny. We took up more than enough time than we needed. You realize that dinner plans must be made soon or it'll be too late."

The gardener seemed to have blocked out what I had said due to being hypnotized by the innocent faces of the poor orphaned puppies. Before I could stop him, he had run ahead, with the sacks still on his shoulders, and attempted to look over the crowd's heads by standing on his toes.

I growled lowly and began marching towards the troublesome blonde. "Finny, enough of that, we need to get-"

I was cut off out of nowhere when I felt a small hand firmly grasp onto my arm and pull me back with a surprising amount of great force. I gasped and collided against a body much smaller than mine, and winced from the abrupt pull before looking at the culprit.

"Shh, dear Janelle, you mustn't be so angry! You are much prettier when you are nice and submissive," a familiar voice whispered into my ear.

At first I had thought it was who I thought it'd be, but then hearing the voice, I noticed it had a dainty soft ring to it, like the sound of distant jingle bells.

My blue eyes widened as I found myself staring back into those glittering green eyes again. It was that mysterious, ethereal woman from the curry contest a few days ago.

"Y-you, wha-what are you doing here?" I breathed, barely able to believe that this strange woman had appeared before me out of random once more.

She shushed me again, placing a slender, cold finger to my reddish lips. "Silly girl, I've come for you, of course!"

I was confused, but my mind was able to function enough to jerk my arm out of her grasp. "Why do you want me for? We don't even know each other."

She pouted, crossing her arms and tilting her head at me in disapproval. "That's not very nice Jane-doll. We met once before, haven't we? And I believe that you were quite kind to me before…"

I felt a little guilty for being rude to her, but kept my distance nonetheless. "I'm sorry, but I really need to go now."

Her green eyes flashed red once and I flinched. Now I knew for _sure _what she was.

"Really, Jane-doll, you don't have a home to return to. That's not your _real _home," she said with an ominous look in her eye, approaching me with steps that seemed to echo in my ears.

She then grinned and opened her mouth to bare her long, sharp fangs. Her green eyes grew into a darker shade that seemed to represent poison ivy. I glared with as much intimidation as possible, though something inside me burned with surging fear. At the same time, I braced myself and the need for defense shielded my more vulnerable emotions. The only thing I was thinking about was taking Finny and running with him to safety. I had to get out of here. _We had to get out of here_.

Before she took one more step, I acted on my next burst of energy and raced towards Finny in a flash. Everything else around me was a blur and my eyes only aimed to take hold of his hand.

The blonde felt my sudden hard grasp on his arm and he furrowed his eyes before turning to me and seeing a grave, almost horrified look on my face. His turquoise eyes opened in worry and he took hold of my shoulder.

"Janelle, are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked immediately, trying to shake me out of my defensive mode.

"Finny…we need to go, _now,_" I said coldly, my hand clenching onto him as the fear began to overwhelm me.

He gazed down to see that I was beginning to shake and nodded his head. "Yes, let's go hom-"

I noticed his eyes grew wide with wonder and I knew exactly why. I didn't dare turn around, for I knew who it was already.

"Aw, what an adorable little boy you have with you, Janelle. He looks good enough…_to eat_," the revolting sweet sound of her voice sent shivers through my frozen body.

I hissed in rage and Finny gasped in shock and fear at hearing such an intimidating sound come out of my mouth. I turned to her and pushed the young boy behind my back before he could object.

"You _stay away_ from him. I won't hesitate to hurt you," I said darkly, leaving Finny speechless at witnessing this whole other side of me.

She merely gave an amused smile my way, tapping her cheek with her finger, her head still tilted to the side. "Now I know _this boy_ is not the one you love, is it?"

Finny grasped my shoulder and I continued pushing the both of us back and away from her. She sighed in a dramatic way, clicking her tongue. "You are making this more difficult than it has to be, Jane-doll. What he told me about you was true after all. You were always the protective one. _The weak one_."

I tried to figure out who she was talking about, but before I could even think, she finally made her move and charged for me, with teeth bared in a menacing way. Finny cried out in shock when I had pushed him hard in the chest, making him fall back further away from me. He saw me attempt to knock her backwards with my shoulder but she swiftly dodged and I felt her move behind me.

I clenched my fingers and aimed to strike her, but she quickly caught my hand, pulling my arms behind my back. She then kicked me a good distance away and I skidded to the ground in a harsh collision.

I looked down to my hands, seeing that they had cracked slightly from her steel grip, but once they healed in a flash, I retaliated, only for her to force me down in to the ground with her foot.

Why wasn't anyone alarmed at such a display? One of my eyes peeked open to scan the area and found that the crowd had already dispersed in fright without me noticing.

The next thing I knew, the wretched woman had somehow got a hold of Finny while still keeping me cemented to the ground. Finny struggled against her grip on his neck and she gave an innocent smile.

"You are so cute; I can hardly stand myself right now. I wish I could just eat you up. Your peachy skin looks absolutely delectable." She licked her lips and her charming look seemed to have caught him in a daze.

"Finny, snap out of it!" I yelled, realizing that she was trying to use her seductive methods on him.

Once he had heard my voice, he shook his head and went back to glaring at her. "Let Janelle go right now!" he yelled, clenching his hands over hers and managing to form cracks into her skin.

"Ahh! Such a firm grip you have!" She moaned in pleasure and that took him off guard. "Ooh…you know. Strong men who can punish me like you _really_ turn me on…" Her euphoric expression instantly grew darker. "But, I'm afraid you're not the one for me."

Just as Finny had escaped her grasp, she had caught hold of his hand and a strong, green vapor seemed to be emitting from her fingernails and seeped into his skin. My eyes grew in horror as Finny's body slowly sank to the ground, the vapor rising off the ghastly puncture marks that were now embedded in his wrist.

I growled furiously and elbowed her leg, hearing a loud cracking sound as I did so. She cried out in pain, clutching her leg while I stood up, angrier than I had ever been before. Without hesitating, I charged at her but she managed to catch my arm again, clenching my neck in the process.

"Do not worry, dear Janelle, your precious friend isn't dead. I hardly used any of my full strength to harm him. He's simply unconscious."

I hissed again and struggled to get free from her grip. A piercing fire suddenly coursed through my veins, almost as if I was being turned into a monster once again. I screamed out from the intolerable pain and managed to feel that her sharp claws had sunk into my neck before an intense numbness took over.

"I don't understand _what_ he sees in you…" I heard her say, my vision becoming blurry.

The darkness swallowed me whole and I didn't breathe once.

…

"Young lad…young lad! Can you hear me? Wake up!"

Finny's eyes began to blink open and he let out a low groan. He felt terrible and his head felt heavier than ever before.

The first thing he saw was his wrist, which was still bleeding, but was being held by a stranger's hand. His teal eyes then looked up to see that a kind old man was kneeling beside him, grasping his wound tightly in order to stop the bleeding.

Just then, he finally remembered what had happened. The events that occurred, before he was knocked out cold, came rushing back to him like a raging wave. Instant horror and hatred overtook him and he jolted upwards without thinking.

"Janelle!_ Janelle_!" he shouted, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head.

"Son, you mustn't be so rash! You're badly injured!" the old man warned him, still stopping the bleeding with a cloth he had torn from his jacket.

Finny's eyes were moving rapidly and were scanning the area, trying to see if she was anywhere in sight. But unfortunately, all that was left behind was the sacks he had carried beforehand, as well as the basket that Janelle had been carrying.

"Son? How are you feeling? Can you stand?" the old man asked, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

The old man grew surprised to see that tears were beginning to collect in the innocent blonde's eyes and he burst out in a despaired wail, wiping away at his eyes with his other arm.

"I'm so stupid! I'm so stupid! How could I have let her be…" He couldn't finish the rest, the endless sobs racking his body.

The old man beside him could do nothing, except wrap a warm arm around the boy's trembling shoulder and embrace the boy to his chest in shared comfort.

* * *

The young Earl was in his office as usual, reading the newspaper and awaiting his tea to be served by his demon butler.

"It certainly has become quieter now that the prince and Mister Agni have gone now, hasn't it Young Master?" Sebastian commented while pouring the Earl Grey tea from high in the air.

"Yes, thankfully. I can't believe that I was able to put up with them for so long, knowing my patience," Ciel stated.

He remembered that time just a few days ago, when he had graciously allowed Prince Soma and Agni to stay with him on the condition that they manage his separate townhouse down in London. Of course, the two Indians had taken the offer with great appreciation, and Soma wanted to prove to his parents and Ciel that he could be a great and independent man.

"You've become quite an idol figure for the prince, Young Master. I hope you're ready for what that may bring you, trouble or not," Sebastian teased, setting the fancy tea cup in front of his lord.

Ciel shook his head in disgust and took the cup. "Please refrain from speaking about him again for the time being. For now, I believe we have some important upcoming events approaching us."

"Ah yes, the circus. The queen has sent you tickets for it in this envelope just received," Sebastian announced, passing him the letter that contained the queen's official seal.

The butler chuckled and the Earl looked up at him with a wary eye. "Perhaps it's an early Christmas present for a little boy?" he continued to taunt his master with an amused grin.

"Silence, Sebastian or you're dead," Ciel uttered darkly, clenching his hands and nearly crinkling the envelope.

"Oh, most terrifying, my lord, bravo," Sebastian stated sarcastically and lightly clapped his hands.

The calm and normal chat between the two was interrupted by a loud slam of the doors just then and Sebastian immediately raised his head with great disdain.

"Finny. You know better than to enter the Young Master's room so-"

"Janelle! Sh-she's been kidnapped sir!" Finny blurted out, his eyes still red from crying so hard.

Sebastian's eyes widened ever so slightly, though on the inside, his shock and outrage at the alarming news was much worse than he allowed revealing.

A dark aura began to emit from the demon and Finny had anticipated what was coming, though he still cowered in fear. The butler strode towards the gardener and stopped right in front of him, his deadly crimson eyes glowering daggers at the boy.

"She's been kidnapped you say? By who?" Sebastian questioned as calmly as possible.

Finny's opened his mouth, but then another round of tears began to shake him. He swallowed hard and tried to speak. "I…I didn't know who it was sir, but it was a terrifying and strong woman! She badly h-hurt me and Janelle and…before I could do anything…she was gone! I'm so sorry! I know that I should be punished for what I've done!" The young boy fell to his knees and bowed to the Young Master in respect.

"A mere woman you say? It was a woman and you, the strongest human boy I know, could not even do a simple task as to fight her off?" Sebastian continued to question in a stern tone, making Finny feel even worse.

Finny broke down again. "_I know_! I hate that I couldn't do anything!"

"Are you sure she's been taken?" Ciel cut in, staring out the window and noticing that the old man, who had helped Finny, was walking into a carriage that had also taken the two back to the manor. The transport then promptly took him away from the vicinity.

"I swear sir! I looked for hours all over town and she wasn't anywhere! I…I…" Finny couldn't speak anymore and continued sobbing.

"It's alright Finny, please calm down. It's a good thing that you are safe at least," Ciel stated plainly, a bored expression crossing his face.

Sebastian couldn't help but glare at his master's apparent nonchalant attitude. "Master, what do you propose we do? Shall I go after her?"

"No, let her be," Ciel replied with equal indifference.

"What?!" Finny couldn't help but shout.

Sebastian clenched his jaw, though his anger still wasn't apparent. "And why shouldn't I save her, my lord?"

Ciel smirked at hearing his butler's hidden rage and turned to him with his fingers intertwined in front of him. "We cannot go rescuing her all the time. I realize that she may be in grave danger, but I also believe in her. Janelle is a lot stronger than many of us may think."

Finny's mouth opened to object but Sebastian stopped him, with a hand placed in front of the gardener's face.

"You realize that Janelle is in danger, yet choose to believe in her instead? What if she ends up dead, my lord?" Sebastian retorted in a consistent calm manner.

Ciel shrugged. "Then it seems I have misjudged her. She would be deemed as unworthy to serve the Phantomhive family, for she was too weak to even defend herself."

That remark struck a chord at the demon's nearly broken patience, and his rage boiled inside of him even more at the fact that Ciel had called her '_weak_', even if it was simply hypothetical.

Ciel continued speaking. "I would not think she would appreciate being 'the damsel' all the time, Sebastian. You, of all people, should know her better than that," he stated, his stern dark blue eye gazing directly at his butler.

The demon did not reply, though his own thoughts were beginning to swarm in his mind.

_Who gave a damn whether or not she appreciated being known as helpless? _His angry thoughts blared in his head. _All I care about is getting her back. I will tear those responsible to shreds, no, to nothing but a speck of dust._

The young Earl then stood up, dead serious with what he was about to say next. "Sebastian, I order you not to go and rescue her. You are to stay here. If she does not return by night fall, only then will you be allowed to come after her, whether she is found to be dead or not."

Finny flinched at the last statement and his shoulders slumped in shame. Sebastian's jaw muscle clenched once more, resisting the urge to lash out in pure anger. That wouldn't be like him at all. That would ruin the pristine reputation he had made for himself in order to serve this brat for all those wretched, meaningless years.

No matter how much fury and dangerous power was building up inside him, he had no other choice but to obey. A contract was a contract, nothing more and nothing less.

With his hand over his heart and kneeling down on one knee, the demon butler merely stated the three words that sealed the deal.

"Yes, my lord."


	21. Restricted

**Man, oh, man! I don't think I've ever written so much in the last two days! I have no life! XD Once again, I had to split the chapter...for the second time. It seems my ideas turn out to be much longer than it was in my head, haha...**

**The parts pertaining to what's happening at the Phantomhive manor is based off of episode 21 in the anime.**

**Tons of stuff happen and is one of the reasons why I split it a second time. I didn't want to overwhelm you with one chapter only! I hope that you enjoy these two new chapters. I, for one, am pretty proud of myself right now. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

A soft, dare I say, beautiful laugh was the first thing that reached my slow, recuperating senses. Parts of my body were getting less and less numb, but that immense fire that lingered in random branches of my veins still burned.

"My, my, very impressive, Jane-doll. You are honestly the first vampire, or any being in general, that has been able to survive my venomous touch." That woman's voice rang like chimes. Whatever she had done to me, the pain was the second worst I had ever experienced, the first being my transformation.

My vision began to clear up, and as expected, I saw the thin, frail woman staring down at me as she stood, with her arms crossed and a gentle smile on her face. Hell, she looked innocent on the outside, but I should have known better than to underestimate her. That must have been one of her specialties, being able to fool people with her 'good-girl' outlook and then devouring them on the spot. What a most despicable monster she was, well done. She surely lived up to her vampire status.

I was lying on a hardwood floor, and where I was being held captive, I was not aware of yet. All I knew was that we were both in some kind of abandoned house. The scent of pine trees and fresh dew caught my attention as well, telling me that we were in the wilderness.

I coughed violently, covering my mouth as I did so and when I looked at my hand, I noticed a few specks of blood against the white skin. Normally there would be more, but my blood was so thin right now and considering I hadn't fed in a week, things weren't looking well for me.

She kneeled down to my side, grasping my pale hand into her paler ones and gently caressed the side of my face. Why in hell was she acting like she was the kindest person on earth with her fake actions of affection?

"That's a mighty mean glare you're giving me, Janelle. You should be happy that I hadn't killed off your cutie of a friend back there. His blood smelled absolutely delicious, like an untouched peach," she giggled.

I growled in fury and jerked up from my laying position, launching myself on top of her and clenching her neck. My eyes glowed red as I did so, tightening my death grip and ready to rip her head off.

She merely gave a meek chuckle. "You shouldn't kill me either, Janelle. Isn't that against your morals? Killing people needlessly?"

"I have no problem killing the people who attack those I care about!" I snapped at her darkly, noticing that my voice sounded a bit hoarse.

She rolled her eyes, reaching out to twirl the end of her lush, brown hair. "So typical. It'd be fun to see you take advantage of people for once. You have that side, Janelle. It's you after all. Why can't you just embrace the fact that you are a bloodsucking monster?"

"You think I enjoy being what I am? You think you know everything about me?" I questioned, slamming her head down and causing the hardwood floor to crack below us.

"See? Why can't you be like this more often? I take back what I said about you being prettier when you're nice. I say you're more attractive right now, _in a rage_!" she giggled again, seeming unperturbed by my grip.

She then kicked me off of her, throwing me against the wall with several objects shattering to the ground. I stumbled to my feet, rubbing my bruised arms and watching her hum to herself in content.

The woman walked towards me and forcefully grabbed my chin. "And yes, Jane-doll, whether you like it or not, I know a lot about you, more than you think. So much, that it may give you nightmares…"

My eyes widened and my lips parted slightly to say something. "H-how do you know so much about me?"

She giggled and let me go, prancing back a few feet. "Let's just say…I'm a little psychic. Or that I have a secret bird that tells me everything about everyone that interests me."

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "And why do I interest you?"

A frown suddenly appeared on her face in a split second and I took notice before it disappeared just as quickly. She then resumed smiling and turned to me fully.

"Jane-doll, don't expect to get all your silly little questions answered."

I glared at her and made for the exit without a care if she would attack me again. She obviously got in my way, standing right at the door.

"You're not leaving." She crossed her arms with a proud smile on her face.

"Why are you keeping me here? What do you want from me?" I kept demanding answers from her, the remnants of poison inside of me making my head throb.

She gave a fake pout. "Hmm…I just want to have a little chat with you." Her green eyes then lit up with an idea. "Say…I'll give you a little juicy information, you duel with a fellow I know, and if you manage to survive said battle, you are allowed to leave."

"Fight? Why must I fight? Just let me go, damn you!" I growled and shoved her against the door.

"Oh stop with the questions already! You're giving me a headache!" she whined, grasping her head while I had her pinned against the wooden door.

She simply touched my hand and the green vapor began to rise from her fingers again, sinking her claws into me. I groaned in pain and my knees began to give out, but she kept me steady with her arm supporting me under my shoulders.

She grinned. "I'll stop hurting you if you just listen to me. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have, Janelle. I promise."

I shook my head, blood beginning to seep from my new wound. "Wh-why should I trust _you_?"

"Because I know what you want. I can tell you where to find the girl that you're looking for…"

My eyes snapped open and I looked up at her, my vision getting blurry again. "Y-you know her?"

"I don't care to. But I'm aware of her whereabouts. Listen to me?" she asked, her green eyes urging me with their 'innocence'.

I hesitated, but nodded slowly and she finally released her poison hold on me. I staggered backwards, compelling myself to heal faster.

"You see Janelle, that's your power right there," she stated, pointing at my wounded hand.

"What, not _dying_?" I snapped bitterly, closing my eyes as the poison began to die down.

"Precisely. You've had your power all along, but you never really realized you had one, did you? Then again, I don't blame you. Your power_ is _pretty discreet."

I gazed at her with curiosity. "What is my power? Do you know?"

She laughed. "Of course, it's a shame that _you_ don't. You have the ability of 'Hyper-healing', Jane-doll. When someone hurts you, you heal much, much faster than normal vampires. Obviously, your healing powers are immense. That's why you were able to withstand and heal from my venom in just thirty minutes, and I was using my full strength on you!"

She grew even more amused at that fact and laughed harder. "It seems I can't kill you, unlike how I could easily do so to my prey!"

I gave a sarcastic chuckle, and she frowned at my reaction. "_I'm _a fast healer? Funny, I feel like I've been crippled for the last six years."

She narrowed her eyes at my statement, but then realized what I was talking about. "Perhaps, emotionally you don't heal as quickly. But I feel there's a connection here. Your emotions are connected with your physical abilities of fast healing."

I sunk in all that she had said, but still couldn't figure it out, especially with my temporarily damaged mind.

She then took my hand and pulled back my sleeve, exposing my pale forearm. "Look, Janelle, do you see? Those terrible scars you used to have, they are beginning to fade now. Isn't it great? They are no longer apparent."

I gazed down in amazement, for I hadn't paid attention to my scars for the longest time. For some reason, I seemed to have forgotten about them.

"How…how is that possible? I've had those scars for so long now…"

"You were happy again, weren't you? In the past, you must have faced some kind of emotional damage that left you heartbroken for so long. Haven't you noticed? It seems you've made a new and better path for yourself and was slowly able to heal those emotional scars," she smiled at me, running her fingers along my now smoother skin.

My eyes began to well up just a tad. I almost felt free again, seeing that the scars, reminding me so much of my bad past, were finally gone. Then another realization hit me. Since she claimed I was happy, the only person I could think of, who had made me want to live again, appeared in my mind.

His silken, raven black hair, those crimson eyes that made me feel elated rather than scared…and his flawless demeanor concealing the true demonic side that craved for corrupted human souls. To think a devil-like figure such as him had become my remedy, and whether or not he was conscious of that fact remained in the dark.

"You've fallen for another again, haven't you? He must be a dashing fellow," the girl gushed, relishing the hint of joy that appeared on my face while I was thinking.

I stared up from my arm once more, growing serious once again. "Who are you?"

"Me? It's about time you asked. Call me Carlene, your new friend," she grinned, exposing her pearly white fangs.

* * *

Finny was in the courtyard beside Pluto, who was in his demon hound form. The gardener had his arms over his knees and his head buried in them, still moping over the fact that his friend was taken right in front of him.

"Finny!" a shrill voice called, and the gardener slowly lifted his head to see Ciel's fiancé running up to him.

His eyes widened and he briskly made sure he had no visible tears. "Lady Elizabeth! Long time no see!" he hollered, forcing a usual grin.

Behind the cheerful girl, Bard and Mey-Rin were chasing after her, both of them looking rather panicked.

"No, my lady! Don't go near there!" Bard shouted in alarm.

"Bard's right, he is! It's too dangerous for you!" Mey-Rin added, starting to lose her breath.

Finny was confused at their remarks at first, but hearing Pluto begin to growl softly, he immediately knew why they were so concerned. The gardener turned around to the hell hound and placed his hands on his white fur, stroking him gently. "Now, Pluto, be nice all right? They are our friends and friends never hurt each other," he said to him calmly, but with a stern look.

Elizabeth stared up at Pluto, who returned her gaze with a simple, large yawn. She gave a light giggle at the sight of him. "Aww, he's so cute! What a nice guard dog you have!"

The three servants drew blank expressions, their jaws dropping at the unexpected reaction from the noble lady. Elizabeth casually went over to pet the dog and surprisingly, Pluto was quite mellow towards her.

She looked back at them and frowned at their shocked faces. "What's the matter, you three? You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

The three exchanged similar glances before composing themselves.

"Aren't you scared, milady? That dog could easily hurt you, he can!" Mey-Rin warned, urging her to step away.

Elizabeth shook her head in response. "I'm not scared at all. If this dog isn't hurting either of you, why would he hurt me?"

"Because he's a giant, vicious, stinkin'-" Bard was silenced when Pluto growled in a threatening way at him. The cook shrank in fear and stepped further away from the hound.

Elizabeth giggled and continued rubbing Pluto's side. "You see? He has feelings too!"

Mey-Rin frowned when she noticed Finny leaning his chin on his knees, staring off into the distance towards town. Sorrow was set in his turquoise eyes. The maid went over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them lightly.

"Finny, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The blame isn't on you or anyone else, it isn't. It was just bad luck." She tried to get him out of his sadness, rubbing his back in the meantime.

The gardener clutched his head, digging his gloved fingers into his scalp. "No…I should've done something! I was bewitched by that woman so easily and I let Janelle slip through my fingers!" He gazed down at his hands and clenched them in remorse. "Sebastian was right. I was capable of fighting her off with my strength, but I didn't do anything. I regret it so much…"

Mey-Rin gave a sympathetic smile. "You were just scared, Finny. You didn't know what was coming!"

Bard cut in with an enthusiastic nod and gave a friendly slap on his back. "She's right. And you know what? If I had been the one with Janelle instead of you, I don't think I would have done any better in preventing that from happening."

"Yes, yes, me too! I would have been scared to bits!" Mey-Rin chimed in, gently shaking Finny.

Elizabeth watched the three of them talking amongst themselves with confusion. "What are all of you talking about? Did something happen?"

Only then did the three realize that Ciel's fiancé was still standing right behind them with Pluto, and they froze, thinking over what to say next.

Bard turned around with a cheesy grin. "It's nothin' you need to worry about, Lady Elizabeth! We've got everything under control!"

"Yes, of course! Nothing drastic happened at all, it didn't!" Mey-Rin blurted without thinking and thus, earned a harsh nudge in the ribs from the American beside her.

Elizabeth didn't buy that and stared at all three with great suspicion, her hands placed on her hips. One could say she looked almost as serious as her mother.

"Something _did _happen, didn't it? Why can't you tell me?" she asked, tilting her head at them.

Finny gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Really, Lady Elizabeth, perhaps we should take you back-"

The gardener's eyes suddenly widened and so did the two other servants. The wind was howling around them and the numerous trees that circled the Phantomhive mansion began to rustle in an ominous manner.

Bard gasped and shouted, "_Get down_!"

Mey-Rin and Bard ducked behind the safety of Pluto, whereas Finny threw himself on top of Elizabeth and shielded her on the ground with his body.

In the next moment, they heard a few gunshots going off and the distant whoops of various men in the distance.

Bard cautiously lifted his head and gritted his teeth. "Damn, we've got company…"

"What? At a time like this?" Mey-Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

Finny looked down at the important girl below him, who had her eyes tightly shut before she began to open them. The gardener clenched his fist in determination and he looked up to see that Bard and Mey-Rin were already shooting him a knowing gaze. He nodded back at them and without hesitation, the three of them, along with Pluto, began racing back to the mansion.

Finny gently lifted Elizabeth in his arms and carried her along, his resolve stronger than ever. _I won't make the same mistake again! I will protect Elizabeth and the Phantomhive mansion with everything I've got! _His thoughts gave him more confidence and he made sure Ciel's fiancé was secure in his arms.

The gunshots behind them began to pick up at a vicious rate, but that only drove the brave servants to raise their defenses in order to fulfill one of their most crucial duties.

The entrance to the mansion was quickly coming into view. Mey-Rin jumped over the center water fountain with ease while Bard was taking the lead and was well up ahead. Elizabeth continued questioning what was happening, but Finny had no time to answer, for the only thing he was thinking was getting her to safety.

Tanaka, who had sensed the danger and turned into his normal human form, was already ready for them and opened the door for the three servants to enter. Meanwhile, Pluto took up the front of the mansion, ready to defend and attack the intruders as he gave a menacing growl.

Once the three servants and Elizabeth had managed to get inside the mansion safely, Sebastian was there to greet them.

"Lady Elizabeth, I'm glad you have decided to visit the mansion today. I'm sure my master will be pleased to see that you are here. For now, please relax and refrain from going outside," Sebastian stated with a polite smile.

A hint of worry crossed her face and she looked up at the tall butler. "Is everything going to be alright? I still don't understand what's going on…"

Sebastian nodded with a close-eyed smile. "Of course, Lady Elizabeth, you will be safe and out of harm's way. The servants will do well in protecting the mansion."

Elizabeth nodded, deciding to put her faith in the butler and the servants before following Tanaka further inside. As soon as she was out of sight, Sebastian turned to the others with a serious expression.

"I trust you all know what you must do," he simply said and all three nodded, fully prepared.

Bard and Mey-Rin sped off to collect their weapons and assume battle positions. Before Finny had left as well, Sebastian stopped him momentarily.

"Finny, I assume that the injury you had attained hasn't hindered your ability to fight?" Sebastian asked to make sure he was fine.

The gardener nodded and gripped both of his fists. "If anything Sebastian, it has made me stronger! I won't let you down this time. I won't make the same mistake again."

The demon butler gave a small smile and the gardener returned the gesture before running off to his position.

Alone with his own thoughts, the demon recalled the brief moment when he had mended and examined Finny's wound. He noticed the puncture marks in his wrists were from fingernails and not fangs like he had assumed. He had also detected the distinct smell of a miniscule amount of poison, as well as the scent of another being that had been attached to Finny. That particular scent deeply increased the worry that he felt towards what had happened only hours ago, another stray bloodsucker had attacked him and…_her_.

To this day, he could not decipher why he felt so strongly with every situation that involved her…and he swore he knew better than to dwell in such impending signs of what most demons would think of as _weakness_.

Why was this happening? Why did she have to interfere into his life? Why did he ever have to meet her? His master should have let her go free back then and they wouldn't have taken her in. He would never have had to deal with her in his current position as the Phantomhive butler.

So many times he thought this way and several other times were spent convincing himself that he was a _demon _after all. Something as insignificant as what he was feeling was impossible. It was not meant to exist.

It was pure hatred, yes? No. Was it simply one of the seven deadly sins, known as lust? Perhaps, for this one had stuck with him longer than the prior assumption. But once again, lust did not seem to fit the nagging feeling at all. It merely filled a fraction of it and an unrecognizable piece was missing.

Over time, he was beginning to not mind this certain feeling that awakened whenever she was near. But just when he was willing to come into terms of acceptance, his lord had decided to intervene and restrict him from reaching out to her.

Just when he had seen the light, the opportunity was stolen and he was dragged back into the dark, a place he was far too familiar with. Maybe this was fate, and thus, it wasn't meant to happen.

If that were the case, this so-called 'fate' should have been easy to accept. But for him, it challenged his forced obedience. He _refused _to accept it.

* * *

After having spent a moment or two trying to figure out where I was, it all seemed so familiar to me. The forest I was in seemed reminiscent of two years ago. Before I had gained consciousness, she had taken me to a run-down cottage residing just a few feet away from where I stood. Staying outside in a clearing among the trees and staring off into the distance, I feared that I was far away, until she spoke up and relieved some of my worries.

"Don't fret, Jane-doll. You're not that far from downtown London. We're just on the outskirts of town, not even that deep into this forest. You'll be able to return soon enough," Carlene assured me with a grin.

I narrowed my eyes at her and crossed my arms. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know or what? Otherwise, I'm leaving."

"If you escape without permission, you know what will happen. I'll render you unconscious and never allow you to see your friends again," she warned me, her fingers starting to give off green steam.

I continued glaring her down and she sighed dramatically. "I'm so glad looks don't kill, otherwise, I'd be a miserable pile of dust! You're so terrifying when you're angry Jane-doll!" She pretended to weep.

"Cut the theatrics and tell me about Eva," I demanded, coming over and grasping her neck again.

"Eva huh? Oh dear, we were roomies but I never bothered to know her name. She is such a boring human being to me…" She casually stole a glance at her nails.

I tightened my grip. "What do you mean by that? You two were roommates?"

She nodded and touched my hand gently. "Yes, Jane-doll. Have you ever heard of the circus called 'Noah's Ark'?"

I thought for a moment and shook my head. She continued on. "I was part of the circus for a short while because I enjoyed touring and venturing to as many places as possible. Eva was my tent mate while we traveled. She was a new addition to the circus and being gracious little me, I was the one who helped her get by."

I nodded my head in understanding, slowly letting go of her neck. She then giggled and clapped her hands. "I've a sweet present for you, Janelle," she said excitedly and reached into her corset near her breasts, enjoying my wary expression as she did so.

She presented me with a slip of paper and as I took it in my hands, I noticed it was a ticket to 'Noah's Ark'. I looked up at her suspiciously. "Is this legit?"

"Yes, my god, why on earth would I give you a fake! I ought to have some thanks for going through the trouble of getting this for you! The tickets sell out fast!" she pouted, jutting her lip at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright. I appreciate this so-called 'gift'."

She puffed out her cheeks before exhaling deeply. "Well, I suppose I can't expect much from a captive." Carlene twirled around me once and grasped my shoulders from behind. "I hope you find her. She once told me that I reminded her of you…"

I raised an eyebrow in interest and she waved it off. "That Eva girl is blind though. You and I are complete opposites!"

Just at that moment, a loud rustling of the trees emitted from above and random branches fell to the floor near us. Carlene lifted her head and placed a hand over her eyes as if to shield from the light. A grin broke out on her face when she realized the cause of the ruckus.

"You! Quit messing around and come down here!" she ordered.

The wind blew past us again before a loud thud erupted between us. I gasped and stumbled backwards at the abrupt appearance of a young man with black shaggy hair and an impressive build. He cracked his knuckles and hadn't turned around to look at me yet, for his attention was directed to the other vampire.

"Hey Car, I'm back," he stated with a flirty smile, stretching his limbs.

She shook her head at him in disapproval and crossed her arms. "What took you so long? It was getting hard for me to keep our lovely guest here. She could have easily escaped!"

He scoffed and then finally turned to me, his eyebrow raised as he looked at me in slight disgust. "Tch, so this is the wench I'm supposed to kill?"

My eyes widened when he said that and Carlene immediately pulled him back by his arm. "Shh! Barrett, don't scare her like that!"

He sent her a look of disbelief. "You didn't tell her? Well she oughta know what's comin'!"

Carlene bit her lip and then looked to me, seeing that my glare had returned. "So, you intend to kill me?" My tone was stern and I already knew the answer.

Barrett smirked at me and Carlene laughed it off. "Oh Jane-doll, I did tell you before that if you_ survived_, you'd be free. I guess it was my fault that I failed to mention this was a duel to the_ death_."

I stared without any apparent emotion at the male vampire. He grinned, revealing his fangs to me and I noticed that his frost grey eyes were scanning my body up and down.

"Damn Car, you picked up a babe…" He wolf-whistled and licked his lips at the sight of me. "She's got a nice, thick figure…unlike you, you're too damn skinny."

Carlene scoffed and punched him in the arm without holding back, causing him to yelp in pain and shoot her a mean look.

"Shut your face! At least _he _appreciates my slim figure! He says I could beat all those model whores out there!" Carlene spat in his face and jabbed him several times in the chest.

"Fine, shut up! Quit your bitching!" he demanded and slapped her away. He then turned back to me with that flirty grin of his. "Well then, you ready to dance, babe?"

He took a few steps away to give us some space while Carlene began to walk towards the sidelines in front of the cottage.

"Jane-doll, be aware that since he is one of us, he has powers too," she warned me.

I stole a glance at her before keeping my eye on Barrett. "Oh yeah? Well what's his?"

Barrett grinned and lowered his stance, looking like a wolf about to pounce. "You're about to find out," he stated in amusement.

My eyes grew larger at seeing what looked like a sword made of ice coming out of his hand. His other hand procured something else and with a flick of his wrist I was suddenly hit before I had even made my move. I gasped in pain and looked down to see that two long ice daggers were lodged into my stomach.

More blood loss, _exactly_ what I needed.


	22. Old Flames Die Hard

**I've been writing furiously because once my college semester starts up again (this Wednesday, yikes!) I'm going to have to go on another ****_hiatus_****. It really pisses me off since I feel like I could go on forever right now. But, you all know already, life comes first.**

**Second chapter of the day, comin' your way! :) **

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Back at the Phantomhive manor and in the safety from the ongoing battle outside, Elizabeth had decided that learning how to play chess with her fiancé was the best idea to spend her quality time with him. Insisting that a noble lady such as herself needed to know the ways of chess, Ciel gave in to her request.

"The object of the game is to move your pieces to your disposal in order to determine a checkmate, which is capturing the opponent's king. Each of the different pieces move in a specific way and therefore you must not only memorize their names, but the way they move as well," the young Earl explained, setting up the pieces for her.

A melodic sound suddenly interrupted what the Earl was saying and he looked to the side to see that Sebastian was playing the violin for them. Ciel glared, not appreciating the interruption and stood up to scold him.

"Sebastian, what is the meaning of this?" he questioned, but then stopped when his fiancé seemed to take kindly to the added music.

"It's alright Ciel. It's quite lovely to me!" Elizabeth vocalized her opinion with a grin.

Ciel stared at her for a moment before sitting back down. When he looked up, he noticed that his fiancé was still smiling at him.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

She giggled. "It's been a long time since we've been able to spend time like this together…"

He blinked at her statement and a light blush appeared on his face. He scoffed lightly and reached his hand out to start the chess game.

"Let's begin then."

The demon butler beside the young couple continued playing a musical piece he knew by heart. A calm expression was on his face as he composed for them, when in reality, he was actually trying to block out the disturbing noises that resonated outside the manor.

* * *

The male vampire before me was extremely fast and vicious. I almost couldn't keep up as I quickly extracted the daggers from my stomach, wincing in pain as my blood began seeping out the wounds. I gasped when Barrett had appeared by my side and dodged a downward strike from his ice sword. I continued taking precise side steps away from his swings, and when he noticed that I was not letting up, he formed those infernal daggers again and aimed for my chest.

I ducked and then rolled off to the side when he slammed his sword down at me again. He growled in frustration and dashed forward, kneeing me in the stomach. I gasped from the harsh impact and then felt another one coming at me as he used this chance to stab me in the back with brutal force. I gazed down, my hands trembling as I noticed the sword had gone straight through me. Rivers of blood flowed onto the ice blade.

"Come on Jane-doll! You can do better than that! You don't want to die here by this buffoon do you?!" Carlene tried to cheer me on, with her hands cupped around her mouth.

Barrett got distracted by her insult. "Hey! What did ya just call me?!"

I immediately used this chance to kick him hard in his knee cap and pulled the sword out of me from behind once he lost grip. He staggered backwards and grunted from his first injury, holding his cracked patella.

I choked and began to pant heavily from the immense pain that came with yanking the sword out. I held my chest, feeling the cold red liquid staining my fingers. Yet in the next second, the pain began to dissipate and my wounds began to heal up in no time. I looked down at my bloody fingers, not believing that I had healed so quickly.

"Yes Janelle, go on! Use your awesome healing powers to your advantage against this loser!" Carlene continued to support me and taunt Barrett.

"Who's side are you on, woman?!" Barrett yelled, shaking his fist at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Nobody's side, I'm merely enjoying this! And you better watch out because-"

He didn't see what was coming as my rock-hard punch managed to nail him right in the face. Followed by that attack, I quickly took his arm, pinned it behind his back and then used the sword to stab him from behind just like he did to me. He cried out from the sharp pierce and I pulled the ice weapon back out by slicing it horizontally through his body.

I continued taking in useless breaths, trying to calm my fury while he fell to his knees, blood dripping from the long cut made along his back.

"Ha-ha! That was a nice one! Must be painful, huh, Barrett? How does it feel to be attacked by your own weapon?" Carlene jeered at him.

Barrett merely spit out some blood, staggering to his feet with a menacing smirk on his face. His mouth dripped with the red liquid and his frosty eyes now took up the same color.

"I'm fuckin' used to it, Car. I already knew this was the flaw of my power." He then took large intimidating steps towards me, looking as if he wanted to eat me on the spot.

I took a step back from him and then noticed that the ice sword in my hand had suddenly melted away from my grasp.

He gave a hearty laugh, his sharp, long fangs glistening with blood. "Hah! You didn't think that you'd be able to control my sword for long, did you?"

He cracked his knuckles, his biceps flexing as he did so. "Way to go Car. Thanks to your unnecessary comments, you've just made me severely angry. I'm afraid this babe will never see the light of day," he stated darkly, his eyes shimmering an intense red that resembled fire.

* * *

Outside on the frontlines, Mey-Rin was running along the walls of the mansion with two pistols in her hands. She was able to dodge the enemy bullets successfully and then jumped in the air, shooting with accurate precision at the intruders. She continued the pattern of dodging, rolling behind the bushes and then executing aerial moves with her guns. Every time she fought like this, she was inevitably reminded of the old days as an assassin. For now, she was back to being that expert sniper.

Ciel heard the gunshots and turned around in his chair, his gaze fixed on the window.

"Is something the matter?" Elizabeth asked him with concern.

The young Earl paused for a moment, and deciding on not worrying his fiancé, he turned back to her. "It's nothing, let's continue."

Meanwhile, Bard was on top of the balcony, shooting at the enemies from afar with his rifle gun. When the enemy bullets flew in his direction, he ducked behind the stone railing and used the brief opportunity to reload. He was no longer the impulsive, American cook at the moment. As he struck a few more of the men down, he felt as if he was back on the battlefield, returning to the days of the war.

"We're gonna take Earl Phantomhive down if it's the last thing we do-"

The shouting man was cut off when a stray bullet had struck his arm. Bard looked up to see that Mey-Rin had made it to the rooftop and was now shooting them with a rifle of her own. The maid returned Bard's gaze and they both nodded to each other in support.

"Ya oughta get on home and treat your injuries! Or else you're really gonna die!" Bard hollered to them, but was met with more bullets his way.

The American scoffed at the bullheaded men and finished reloading. "Fine then, have it your way."

In the forest surrounding the manor, Pluto was doing well in scaring off the intruders by breathing Hell's fire on their rear ends, literally running them out of Phantomhive territory.

On the other hand, Finny was racing to the top on the opposite side of where Bard and Mey-Rin were. Sprinting up the stone stairs, flashes of his past as a test subject appeared in his mind, giving him more motivation and strength to go on fighting. As he reached his destination, he went over and lifted up the bound stacks of firewood on the side. With a proud grin, he tossed the logs like it was nothing, the heavy stacks falling towards the men like bombs.

"How do ya like that?!" Finny called, ready with more of his own ammo.

Back inside the manor with Ciel and Elizabeth, the Earl had obviously known what was occurring and his face grew more solemn with his darkened mood.

Elizabeth seemed to be oblivious to the violence outside, or maybe she just chose to ignore it. She carried on with her chess lesson and acted like all was well in the world. She wanted her fiancé to be happy after all. She wished to see his lost smile once more…

While playing another composition on the string instrument, Sebastian noticed the somber look on his master's face. The young Earl's eye was fixated on two certain pieces of the chess board-The Black King and the Black Knight.

* * *

His punches, kicks, and throws were becoming more and more intense. I was being beaten senseless and I didn't know how I was going to get out of this predicament. I felt my cold, hard skin begin to crack under his powerful blows but at the same time, I tried to keep my healing speed on par with his attacks.

Everything hurt. I felt like I was being endlessly tortured in a purgatory. Never had I faced another vampire in battle and obviously, I didn't seem to have an upper hand in this fight. He was terrifying and aggressive in his bloodthirsty frenzy and I was the victim to all his rage. Soon enough, everything was starting to feel numb and I was almost certain that I was close to death. My healing was beginning to slow down…

Carlene was shouting something at me but her voice started to become nothing but a muffled sound. My vision was changing and the scenes were beginning to blur. I could hear howling and triumphant laughter, and assumed it was Barrett. He had won, it seemed. I was already gone.

I wasn't sure if my eyes were closed, but I didn't see anything but white. It was bizarre. What I was seeing, or _wasn't_ seeing, almost seemed to resemble the atmosphere of heaven that humans speculated about. Or maybe it wasn't heaven, because the white started to be drowned with droplets of blood seeping down from nowhere, changing it all to red.

Did I make it? Was I finally at death's door? After all my years of wanting to disappear, perhaps my wish had come true.

…

Another strange thing occurred, because somehow I was still able to feel. An overwhelming fire suddenly engulfed me, but unlike the many pains of fires that I've endured in my life, this burning sensation didn't seem to hurt me at all. In fact, it seemed to relieve the dreaded ache that took over my body and mind.

Was it an angel? Something was saving me…but I couldn't figure out what it was just yet.

_Why are you doing this? Can't you see that this was what I wanted…?_

…

A malicious chuckle echoed in the pitch black silence that took place after the painless fire. It scared me and I didn't know where to go. Growing more and more lost in this darkness, I wanted to scream in fear.

My bloody, cracked, hand reached out, but it grabbed on to nothing. I kept on walking, but my feet were starting to bleed with each step.

Yet, just as I was ready to accept my final defeat in this land of oblivion, my hand met contact with another, a hand that gave me the same harmless burning sensation.

That same chuckle broke the silence once more and I dared myself to raise my head. Once I did, I gasped in utter shock. Before me, an ominous shadow emanating with an emerald green flame was appearing before me. Gazing at our intertwined fingers, I noticed the dark figure's hand was just as black, with sharp claws and skin that seemed to resemble sleek leather.

As our hands touched, I felt an immense amount of energy fill me, as if I was being brought back to life. The darkness around me began to fade and the hand holding mine began to loosen. I didn't want to let go…

Stealing one last gaze at the dark figure, I was staring back into two fierce-looking eyes gleaming vibrant magenta.

I knew those eyes…I knew them.

…

Carlene's mouth was dropped in shock at seeing my body leaned against the tree nearby, my blank eyes left open and the crackled skin on my body stopped healing.

"You…you actually did it…" Carlene stated in disbelief, stepping out into the clearing.

Barrett licked his bloody knuckles and laughed once more. "You see? I told you she would no longer see the light of day. It's your own fault for provoking me."

"How the hell was it my fault? In any case, it's a shame she died so quickly. So she turned out to be one of the weakest I had ever known after all…" Carlene commented. She fell into a daze as her attention remained on my body.

Barrett went back to stretching like nothing had happened, though he was covered in blood and was still in the process of healing from his own wounds. "Damn, I can't believe she managed to stab me like that…"

Carlene turned around and began walking back towards the cottage, still not believing that I had died like that. _But I thought I was right. With her healing abilities, she was supposed to have been able to survive no matter what. It's as if she was cursed not to die…though I do know one person who is truly capable of killing her… I can't believe that of all people-_

A cowardly scream interrupted her thought process, but it was cut off just as quickly in the next second. The only thing she heard then was the gruesome sound of ripping flesh and a dull thud of what she knew was a dead body.

Carlene turned around and to her growing surprise and terror, saw me fully alive and standing. Barrett's head was lying helplessly on the ground, the rest of his body sprawled on the icy forest floor.

I had never felt so energized until this very moment. Somehow, I had managed to wake up with a rejuvenating power taking control of my limbs. I had taken Barrett in my steel grasp and sunk my elongated fangs into his neck to aid in tearing his useless head off. I didn't know what came over me, but I felt different…almost stronger.

I must have looked terrible because she was gawking at me with absolute horror. She even fell backwards onto her bottom.

"J-Janelle…h-how are you alive?" she whispered and for once, I was seeing_ her_ tremble.

My eyes were still burning a raging red, but my face showed no malice. "The fight is over," I simply stated and turned away, yearning to get out of this place.

"He hasn't forgotten about you, you know. He'll come after you and you won't be able to escape!" I heard Carlene shout, as if she was still trying to scare me.

I didn't stop walking forward, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew who she was talking about. And for once, the mention of that bastard didn't affect me one bit.

* * *

By late sunset, the skirmish had finally ceased and the attempted murder of Ciel Phantomhive failed miserably. The groups of injured intruders ran away with their tail between their legs.

The three servants gathered in front of the mansion, congratulating each other for a job well done.

"We did it!" Finny cheered, throwing his hands up in victory.

"Hell yeah! No one can beat the power of the Phantomhive forces!" Bard pumped a fist in the air.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We should get back inside and prove to the Young Master of our success!" Mey-Rin exclaimed with joy and the three servants wasted no time to do so.

Meanwhile, the young nobles and the demon butler were making their way down the grand staircase. Elizabeth was clinging to Ciel's arm with pure joy and the young Earl was paying only half of his attention to what she was saying.

The light shining through the open doors and the appearance of the three servants caught his full attention however. He looked up to see his staff members running up to him with proud grins on their faces.

For once, Ciel couldn't help but smile back at them, letting out an amused chuckle. "You all look terrible. Are any of you injured?"

"Nope! We're perfectly fine, master! We're sorry we didn't finish them off faster!" Finny said with a nervous grin.

Elizabeth went up to the three. "I'm so proud of you all! Thank you for working so hard to protect Ciel and the manor!"

"Don't thank us! It was merely our duty as Phantomhive servants!" Bard replied and the two others cheered in agreement.

Ciel nodded and stood beside his fiancé. "Well then, all three of you-"

The demon butler, who was quietly watching the conversation before him, sensed what was coming ahead of time and he almost couldn't believe it was true. The doors had opened again and everyone turned around to see me entering the manor as discreetly as possible.

The gardener's jaw dropped open at my sudden appearance as I squeezed my way through the double doors. An awkward silence fell upon us, but I took casual steps towards them, trying to play off my intrusion.

"H-hello everyone," I finally uttered, mustering up the best smile that I could give.

In the next instant, the silence ceased and an outburst of happiness came from Finny and the two other servants. The gardener was the first to approach, colliding into my arms with so much strength and causing the both of us to fall to the ground. I laughed at Finny's joy and saw that tears were streaming down his face.

"Finny…don't cry. I'm back now," I stated in a calm tone, softly ruffling his strawberry blonde hair.

He looked up at me, his cheeks reddened and he tried to get rid of his tears with the back of his hand. "I'm so sorry Janelle! I'm so sorry that I didn't protect you like I should have!"

I shook my head and gave a warm smile. "Don't say that, Finny. You were so brave…and I wanted to protect you too. I'm glad that you are safe…"

The gardener sniffled and then beamed at me like he usually would. Bard and Mey-Rin came to my side while Finny and I both got back on our feet. I looked at the two servants and they grinned. I was glad to see them again and looking through their eyes, I could tell they felt the same.

Ciel and Elizabeth approached me next and I gave a deep bow, my fuchsia locks falling at my side. "I deeply apologize for any trouble that I may have caused due to my long absence. I didn't mean for that to happen and I understand if I-"

"Janelle, don't say another word. I'm only relieved that you were able to return safely on your own," Ciel interrupted me and I looked up to see that he was giving me a rare smile.

I returned the gesture and acknowledged Lady Elizabeth at his side. She grinned back and clung tighter to her fiancé. The Young Master then addressed all four of us with his usual serious demeanor. "I want all of you to hurry and clean yourselves up. I can't have my servants looking like a sloppy mess for the rest of the day."

While I lowered my head to him in understanding, the three others beamed, choosing to use Sebastian's signature line instead.

"Yes, my lord!"

Ciel smirked and then looked at the demon butler, who had no apparent emotion on his face. "Sebastian, I expect to see you in the dining room momentarily."

The butler merely placed a hand to his chest and gave a slight bow. The young couple then exited the grand hall and the three servants dashed off to their headquarters to fulfill their task.

It was just us.

The tension between us was growing the longer we stayed silent and I pondered on whether or not I should tell him what had happened. But then again, just looking at my wrecked appearance seemed to say more than half of what I possibly could have said.

I had sent my gaze to the ground when everyone had left, but hearing his footsteps beginning to draw closer, I pressured myself to look him in the eye. I did so, feeling strangely unsure.

His crimson eyes were cold and emotionless and he didn't look pleased in the slightest bit, unlike everyone else. I expected that reaction from him. But for some reason, the tiny amount of intimidation I had felt before I looked up, seemed to have vanished once I saw him again.

Any one person could have thought he was angry by his stern, unmoving expression. Others could have instantly cowered in fear by his piercing glare and ran for the hills. But I did no such thing, for I saw something else that was easy to overlook. It was hidden deep within those blood red orbs of his, and I knew he wasn't willing to let it go free. The demon was absolutely stubborn, one of the many things I had grown to find amusing about him.

Unbelievable, I couldn't believe what I was feeling towards this man. But even though he would most likely reject me in the end, I took a chance and did what I had wanted to do ever since I walked through that door.

Once the butler had stepped all the way down from the stairs and before he could say anything, I dashed forward and collided against his chest, grasping onto him tighter than ever before.

Again, the demon was taken aback by my abrupt embrace. But feeling the familiar cold temperature of my body against him diminished the ill feelings that he was trying to procure in order to ward off those 'weaker' emotions clutching him on the inside. And just when he was ready to separate himself completely from me, I was pulling him right back and making him forget his plan of distance.

He saw that my dress was ripped, with various amounts of cloth torn to pieces. A woman appearing this way in public would have been ridiculed and shunned, but as far as he could tell, I didn't seem to care at the moment.

The scent of my blood staining my clothes, as well as the stronger scent of those vicious monsters still lingered on me. He wanted to know what had happened, and in his mind, he feared that my actions right now were false, as if I was pretending to be fine and happy in order to hide everything. No matter if I had indeed been taken advantage of again or not, he was just itching to raise Hell and kill every single heathen that had held me hostage.

"I'm so glad…you're here…" He heard me whisper in a slightly hoarse tone.

He noticed me shaking and realized I must have been holding back all my fright all this time. He grew pleased to see that I was willing to show my vulnerable side to him and therefore, his arms finally wrapped around my body. One hand grasped my waist and another held my head firmly to his chest. His gloved fingers ran through my wind-blown hair and he gave a slight chuckle.

"Don't be an idiot, Janelle. Where else would I be?"

His velvet voice had that usual teasing tone and I held him tighter, in useless fear that he would somehow vanish from my grasp. Nothing could have ever made me safer than hearing his voice once again.

* * *

The ex-lover was no doubt, absolutely outraged. In his fit of anger, he had torn apart the already run-down dwelling. The female vampire was watching him with intimidation residing in her peridot green eyes.

"You could not even do a simple task, Carlene. One simple_ damn_ task and you couldn't even do that much?" he snapped and smashed the wall, forming a large hole that revealed the winter environment.

She winced at his incredible power. In comparison to the young woman she had let go, this man was the strongest she had ever seen. She was absolutely terrified by him, yet at the same time, she held an undying passion that was only reserved for him. She adored this man. She wanted him for herself. She _hated _that he still wanted _her, _of all people!

She approached him, not caring if she would be abused in the process. "Percival, please, I did what I could, but she was stronger than I thought!"

"Don't give me that bullshit Carlene, I know her better than anyone else. There is no way that she could have killed Barrett like that!" he roared, his cerulean eyes darting around for something else to smash.

Carlene knew better and she shook her head. "That man gave her strength, Percival. I could tell that before she truly surrendered to death, she had somehow found the will to live again." She dared to grasp the aggressive vampire's tense arm, trying her best to calm him down. "You're too late. There is already someone else she cares for more than you."

That statement struck a nerve in him and he didn't hold back his strength in back-handing her face. She immediately collapsed to the ground, her cheek containing a large crack. Yet she didn't care for the pain, she merely stared back up at him. She admired his handsome features, his slim body, his dark brown hair, and those blue eyes that she wished to drown in forever.

He then kneeled down to her level, taking her arm and pulling her up with ease. She whimpered from his harsh grip, but at the same time, indulged in the infliction of more pain.

"Carlene…what do you think of me?" he asked, a sly grin beginning to form on his face.

She chuckled, getting lost in his eyes. "What do I think? We've been together for four years now Percival. You changed me into a vampire because I was willing to spend eternity with you."

His eyes held no emotion for now and tears began to appear in hers. "You left her for _me_, didn't you? So why can't you let her go? Percival, I can give you so much more than she could ever give you! She's weak and I'm strong!"

His smirk grew even wider when he heard what she uttered next. Genuine care showed through every word. "I…love you. I've always had, and always will. That's why I let her go. I only want you Percival, only you."

His hands then moved to grasp her face and she gasped when he leaned closer to her. "Answer me this, Carlene…"

"Anything…" she whispered back, wanting to stay like this forever.

"Would you still love me, after what I'm about to do?" he asked her with tenderness in his eyes.

She grew wary at his question, but when he smashed his lips against hers, all of her thoughts vanished and she kissed him back with as much fervor and passion that she held for him. His fangs cut into her tongue and she moaned at the feel of him ravishing her mouth with nothing but lust and dominance.

Just as he pulled away, his lips still ghosted on her mouth, leaving a final tingling sensation that left her speechless. He then uttered one word that only broke her frozen heart.

"Goodbye…"

The last thing she saw were those beautiful azure eyes, drowning in them like she wanted, before she delved into a permanent darkness.

…

In the next moment, he was walking away from a furious fire that burned away the evidence, burned away the secret life that he had gotten himself into.

The thick, swirling clouds of black smoke began rising into the violet evening sky.

A piercing glow of red lit up in his blue eyes and he didn't look back once at the destruction he left behind.

As always, he should have known. If he wanted something done, he was going to have to do it himself.


	23. Black Knight

**Yippee! Managed to sneak this in on a school day...shh!**

**Thanks to the awesome, awesome, AWESOME reviews from _Ratchet _(you da best, girl!), _Sarafinja, Almathia, and KeeddaKitty13 _(_Hell_ _yeah_ I accept your praise-with opens arms and a HUG! *hugs you*) Also, much blessings towards the views, follows, and faves so far. They rock my nonexistent socks off! :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The tall and eerie shadows cast down by the trees engulfed me into the stagnant darkness, with stray branches reaching out to cut into my skin, like claws yearning to dig into any source of flesh.

Yet I felt nothing from those claws. The only thing that was eating me alive was the torturous screeching in my head and incinerating of my body. Nothing else mattered. Those shadows could rip me apart if they so pleased. Anything in order to get rid of this undying burning would suffice.

The thin scratches left behind on my face and arms disappeared in a split second as soon as they were administered, leaving behind beads of red that crusted on my marble skin in no time. The frigid midnight air rushed through my waist-length hair, making the wavy tresses become an even worse tangled mess.

In the next second, I barely halted over a cliff. Small pebbles slipped over the edge and fell down to the blackened forest far below. My deep blue eyes grew blank and my right foot urged me to go forward, tipping over the stony edge.

_Go on, it won't hurt. One little jump is all it will take. You'll be liberated and never have to suffer again._

I could just imagine my body descending into the air before gravity would inevitably drag me down to the hard, unforgiving ground below. Imagining my limbs broken and ripped from my body like a delicate porcelain doll dropping from a child's bedside seemed almost beautiful to me. No blood would seep out, for there wouldn't be any more left in me...

_What the _hell_ are you thinking? Are you honestly going to throw yourself away? Don't even try, especially now that…_

I gasped when a powerful gust of wind blew over me, a low howling entering my ears. I quickly took a few steps back, clutching the cloth over my chest. The raging fires in my throat effectively slapped me back to my senses and for once, I was thankful for the pain.

Setting my mind straight again, I focused on the most important task at hand—hunting. As if I hadn't already been weak before Carlene had taken me, and after facing that lug of a vampire's merciless brutality, I was in terrible shape. The burst of high energy that had motivated me to keep fighting was long gone, promptly returning me back to my blood-deprived disposition.

Throughout the day, I had managed to hide my deteriorating state, though I didn't think my feigned normality was able to pass by a certain raven-haired demon in the slightest. In fact, I had felt watched all day and I knew it had to be his crimson eyes stalking my every move. Realizing full well that he wasn't going to be happy about my sudden absence again, I endeavored to make my hunt quick.

Inhaling deeply and closing my eyes, I listened hard to my surroundings and picked up various noises. I heard the sounds of owls, wings flapping, water falling, trees swaying, and then finally, a steady beat of a heart, pulsing with thick, delicious blood.

My eyes snapped open, revealing crimson irises and I made haste towards the living source. My bare feet padded against the dirt ground, rocks and twigs grazing against the calloused skin. I pushed past the trunks of trees and dodged overgrown branches and leaves before stopping and spotting what I had sensed.

To my surprise, the beating heart belonged to a rugged-looking man walking alone a good distance away from me. The small dim light from his oil lamp was easily recognized as it floated alongside the man's hunched form.

My fingers left deep claw marks on the bark of the tree I hid behind, trying to tame the monster and the dire urge to devour that man. I wouldn't allow myself to. I wouldn't kill an innocent human being, not again.

A flash of the faint remnants of smoke curling up from that cabin of so long ago appeared in my mind, along with the kind and lonely man's corpse stained with his blood and murdered by my own hand. I forced my legs to turn away from the human and headed towards a different direction, convincing myself not to stoop so low like a barbaric beast.

Not aware of how much time had passed since I left the mansion, the full moon above began shining down on the earth, casting a beautiful but ominous glow on the forest floor. I kept on running, scouring for any type of animal, until something else reached my senses, something that jolted me to an abrupt halt and rooted my legs to the ground.

My eyes darted cautiously over my surroundings, not seeing anything, but I definitely knew something was there. My throat clenched, begging for the thirst to be quenched but it wasn't enough to detract me from what I was sensing.

A quick gust of air blew past me and I immediately turned around, only to be met with a powerful blow to my stomach that sent me flying several feet in the air. Soon enough, my back collided hard against a nearby tree and I crumbled to the ground just as harshly.

I let out a sharp gasp of pain, grasping my abdomen and before I was able to get back on my feet, a voice broke the bleak silence.

"I knew I'd find you here… It's been a long time, my love," the all too familiar voice sang in the dark.

I froze, but inwardly berated myself not to show my fear. My fingers clenched the dirt and I dared myself to look up and finally meet those dastardly cerulean orbs that I now despised.

He reached his hand out to me, his long, slender fingers no longer trusting. "Take my hand, Janelle."

I narrowed my eyes at his supposedly kind gesture, acting as if he were disease ridden. I made no move to do so.

An amused grin crossed his face and before I could react, his hand grasped the front of my dress and pulled me to my feet with ease. Of course, I could never forget. His impossible strength was both incredible and menacing. It was something he relished using in order to gain what he wanted.

I could feel him begin to draw me closer to him but I shrugged his hand away and kept my distance, trying as best as I could to remain calm.

"What…are you doing here?" I managed to say, surprised to hear that my voice did no waver like I had thought.

He chuckled in that malicious way of his. "Don't be silly, Janelle. I came for you, of course. It's about time I take you back with me. Isn't that what you wanted?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, not believing the nonsense coming out of his mouth. Did he honestly think I would be willing to come back so easily after all he had done? I admit to making several stupid mistakes in the past, but hell, I'd rather_ die_ than return to him.

He tilted his head in an innocent manner, approaching me with intimidating steps. I was tempted to step back as the normal reaction, but for some reason, my feet refused to move. Intense fright had me cemented in one spot.

"You looked confused, Janelle. Perhaps I should help you sort out your thoughts…" he suggested with a sinister tone.

In a flash, he had an arm around my waist, crushing my body firmly against his. My eyes widened in horror when his other hand forcefully grasped my chin and then he pressed his cold lips against mine. My small whimper was muffled with his mouth and his fingers clutching my waist began digging into my skin, threatening me to comply with his abrasive tactics.

His soft lips incessantly moved with a strong sense of possession and power, easily bruising mine as he began to nibble on the tender skin with his sharp fangs. The familiar form of his body encased me, but I found no joy in being so close to him like once before. His touch was so foreign to me, so alien…as if he had never once laid a finger on my body. I kept my lips firmly closed, despite the pain that was shooting through my side. Disgust filled every fiber of my being, and before he could try anything else, I used my rising anger in pushing him as far away from me as possible.

He enjoyed seeing me look absolutely distraught, my chest rising and falling with the anxiety that was setting in. The emotionless front I was putting up in order to defend myself, failed miserably, and he was able to see right through me. He could just taste my frazzled emotions.

"Stop trying to deny how you truly feel, you know you still care about me. You still love me," he said, though this time, his tone was stern and the hint of playfulness from before had vanished in an instant.

Despite the change in his mood, I stood my ground, tired of acting so scared in front of him. "It's _over _Percival_._ It's over between us," I stated angrily, my glare piercing through his.

He stopped in his tracks, staring back at me with widened eyes. A slight gust of wind blew past, brushing his uneven bangs against his face. His slightly shocked expression soon twisted into something much darker. A flash of red appeared in the blue of his eyes and he recalled what Carlene had told him before her end.

_You're too late…_

_There's already someone else she cares for._

_More than you…_

_You._

He clenched his fist and let out a low growl. No, he _refused_ to believe that was true. He took a step towards the woman in front of him, this pathetic woman that was too damn stubborn to give in to him.

"It's over when_ I_ say it's over, Janelle," he muttered darkly.

I couldn't help the scornful and bitter laugh that escaped my mouth. "I should have expected you wouldn't recall. You_ already_ ended us a long time ago. Remember the letter? Of course, you wouldn't. You never cared."

Though I was still notably trembling, my fear began to calm down. I sunk in all the words that had just left me, not believing that I managed to say all that to him in such a bold manner. I noticed there was a hint of surprise in his eyes towards my words, but it was easily masked with the dangerous rage taking over him.

As usual, he couldn't control his temper and he didn't hold back his strength. His powerful punch collided against my face. My head turned all the way to the other side and the force of the blow made me stumble backwards. I held the side of my face, wincing from the throbbing pain. Before I could recover, he grabbed my head and pulled me up, slamming me against another tree.

I gritted my teeth from the collision, my fangs drawing blood from biting so hard. His fingers clenched my hair, yanking me back and throwing me another few feet away. I rolled onto the ground, my back facing him. My mouth hung agape, trying my hardest not to let out any cries of pain. Though I couldn't stop the stinging water beginning to collect beneath my cornea, I refused to show that I was hurt.

Again and again, he continued picking me up, only to abuse me repeatedly without falter. I could hear him begin to laugh bitterly as he took his anger out on me. He was thoroughly enjoying this, and I wasn't fast enough to fight back against him. I couldn't, it was nearly impossible for me. Humiliation leaked through my withered veins at knowing that hard fact.

"Have you forgotten how to speak to a man, Janelle?" he snapped out of nowhere. He lifted my face, a disgruntled expression on his, and clawed at my cheek, leaving open gashes that leaked with generous amounts of blood.

A pained groan managed to slip out of me and his smirk widened at finally getting a favorable reaction. He then grabbed my arm and briskly shoved me against a large tree, pleased that he was able to dominate me without using much effort.

He watched as I compelled myself to heal the gashes on my cheek, seeing that the wounds were closing up and leaving behind a bloody mess. I flinched on instinct when his fingers tangled into my fuchsia locks and flowed all the way down to the ends, where they met my hips. His hand crawled back up, leaving behind involuntary shivers before stopping to grasp my chin.

"You want to know the truth? The whole truth?" he whispered, his breath hitting my skin.

I pursed my lips, not answering him and he willed me to look him in the eye.

"I didn't lie when I said my parents held me back, and that they were killed by my hand. But there was something else that led me to leave you…"

I swallowed, feeling the fire that still burned immensely in my throat. I knew I wasn't going to like what I would hear, and I had a pretty good idea of the _other _reason why he left.

"That girl…you were in love with her, weren't you?" I uttered, my voice growing hoarse.

He scoffed at my assumption. "Tch, I wouldn't say _in love_. More like fascinated or fond of her. She excited me in a way that you couldn't."

I wanted so badly to get away from him. But his other hand, grasping both of my wrists over my head, restricted me from moving freely under his iron grip. I was forced to hear every venomous word.

He told me everything, about meeting Carlene four years ago behind my back and that while I was waiting to get married to him, he had run into his parents but managed to slaughter them without much struggle. During his long confession, flashbacks of those moments played in his mind.

_Percival stood there, his eyes glowing red at the blood tainting the white walls. His parents' bodies were strewn in the shadows, limbs scattered and pools of the thick liquid gathering under his feet._

_A dainty hand rested on his back and he vigorously turned around, ready to attack before he realized it was only the other woman._

_"Percy, let's go! Let's run away from here! I can't stand being around so much blood at once!" Carlene stated melodramatically and gave a fake pout. She tugged on his arm like a little girl, but he didn't move an inch._

_His menacing eyes were empty and he couldn't hear what she was saying. It was almost as if he regretted what he had done._

_There was something else he had to do as well, something important. How could he have let his rage blind him so?_

_Then it struck him like lightning. He looked down at himself and noticed that the white suit he was wearing was drenched and stained with blood. He looked like a murderer. He _was _a murderer._

_"Janelle…" he whispered, reaching out to nothing._

_Carlene gritted her teeth in searing jealousy at hearing him mention her again. She nuzzled her cheek against his arm, urging him to forget about her. "Let's just go! Please Percy, let's run away together! We can travel the world! It'll just be us!"_

_Just us, huh? He remembered he used to tell Janelle that all the time._

_He shook his head. "No, I have to be somewhere. I can't leave her like this…"_

_Carlene hissed in anger and yanked him down, their lips colliding in a fiery, persuasive kiss. When she pulled away, he noticed that some of the wet blood on his face stained the corner of her mouth. She merely licked it away, her green eyes flashing red in a momentary second._

_"Let her go…You're with me now."_

_Those words echoed in his vacant mind and he nodded absentmindedly. The blood in the room drove him over the edge and convinced him to give in to those hidden desires with this other woman._

_Yet just before he could surrender completely, he shrugged out of her grasp and began descending down a different direction._

_She frowned in worry and impatience, hollering after him. "Where are you going Percival?"_

_He turned his head ever so slightly, those cerulean eyes of his still corpse-like. "Wait for me…" he simply stated before dashing off in the blink of an eye._

"Believe me, Janelle, I didn't want to leave you," he admitted to me now, his blue eyes coursing through me as if he really meant it.

I shook my head but he kept his firm grip on my chin. "Those things I wrote to you in that letter…"

_Everything felt numb. He couldn't understand the painful words he was writing. It was as if another side of him was controlling his hand. The feather quill hovered over the parchment and before he could even comprehend his thoughts, the farewell letter was complete._

_His fingers felt as if he had just touched hot, glowing metal. And then something strange crawled down his face. His aching digits reached up to find a single drop wetting his skin. He didn't understand. At the same time, an insane grin was stretching across his lips, the single candle light complementing the malicious expression. He didn't care to understand._

"…they weren't true at all."

No, no, _no_, I kept repeating in my head. I wouldn't listen to him. He was aliar, a monster, a parasite.

His hand grasping my chin then reached down to my breasts, his nimble fingers beginning to undo the buttons. His hunger for me increased when he caught sight of my bared cleavage before him.

I could feel his cold breath hitting my neck and once again, I knew what he wanted to do.

"I can't stand to be away from you anymore, Janelle…" he breathed, clawing the front of my dress and pulling it further down to reveal more of my chest. "You were always my favorite. My only one…" he whispered. His fangs grew against my collarbone as he bared them, his mouth wide open.

I closed my eyes, getting ready to bear through with it. Yet as the seconds ticked by, I didn't feel the familiar pierce I was expecting. Only the sound of a choke came from him. I snapped my eyes back open when I felt my wrists being released, and cautiously looked at Percival to see that a stray knife had suddenly struck him. The shiny blade was protruding right through his neck.

It wasn't just any knife…

He growled lowly and yanked it out, cracking his neck while the gaping wound began to heal. He examined what had struck him and found it to be a piece of silverware.

"What the-"

Before he could finish that sentence however, a figure of black abruptly entered the scene and struck him with a devastating blow, throwing him a far off distance from me. Percival yelped in shock and pain, his body skidding and flailing about while hitting the ground, having gotten the wind knocked right out of him.

Meanwhile, a soaring burst of energy filled me when I finally laid eyes on the unmistakable black tailcoat of the demon butler in front of me, his tall and lean figure standing before me. I almost couldn't contain my joy and surprise at seeing him here.

Sebastian sent a sharp glare towards Percival's form several feet away before he turned around to me with haste, his crimson eyes showing concern. His eyebrows were slightly creased in worry and I could tell he was examining me through and through.

"Sebastian…" I began to say in a soft tone but stopped when he swiftly drew closer, his gloved hand gently clutching the side of my face.

When he pulled away, I noticed his gaze began to harden, his crimson irises darkening with demonic anger at seeing my blood on his white glove, knowing that Percival had hurt me. He then took my face between his hands, the warmth from his firm touch immediately giving me security.

"_You_ are in deep trouble. This time, you won't be able to get away from this '_unscathed_,'" he assured me with a serious voice, though I sensed a hint of playfulness hidden beneath those words and through the faint smirk that began to rise on his lips.

I could only nod in response, my cold fingers reaching up to intertwine with his warm hands. "I know. I deserve punishment."

His blood red orbs seemed to spark with amusement at hearing me say that and a genuine smile crossed his face. His fingers began rubbing comfortably against my cheek, but just as he was about to say more, I sensed Percival approaching and standing right behind the demon. Sebastian's expression fell in an instant at his lingering presence, morphing into a look that inspired chills up my spine.

"So you were the one who threw this _thing _at me?" Percival questioned, twirling the knife between his fingers.

The famous close-eyed smile of Sebastian set on his face as he turned to finally face my ex-fiancé. The butler's arms pushed me close behind his back, shielding me and keeping me out of Percival's reach.

"Why, of course I was the one. Certainly, a bird could not have been capable of doing such an agile task," Sebastian replied with fake politeness.

Percival merely scoffed at his snide comment. The black-clad demon tugged on his white gloves, smile still intact. "Sharp, isn't it? As the Phantomhive butler, I take great care in maintaining and polishing every piece of silverware in the household." His red eyes narrowed into a dark glare. "Though your wretched blood has now stained the blade. What a bother…"

The brown-haired vampire growled and didn't hesitate in throwing the blade back at the smug butler, aiming for his face. No surprise, Sebastian caught the knife between his gloved fingers without so much as blinking.

"My, you're a rude fellow aren't you? No…that's not quite right…" I noticed Sebastian clenching the hand that contained my blood. "You're nothing but a filthy barbarian, having nothing better to do than to lay abusive hands on a woman. Truly low indeed, I would deem you lower than a disgraceful human." Sebastian's sadistic smile grew with every word he said. "Nothing more than _rotting corpses, _one might say."

Percival was no doubt, furious towards Sebastian's bold insults. I had never seen him seething with such pent-up rage before. His teeth were clenched, his fangs seemed to reach its monstrous peak, and the blue of his eyes seemed to darken into a deeper shade, almost like black.

"What kind of bastard are you to just _insult_ me like that?!" he barked with a threatening finger pointed at the demon.

The butler smirked at his anger. "Oh dear, pardon me, I have not introduced myself properly. I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler of the Phantomhive family. And as to what kind, I'd say I would be 'one hell of a_ bastard_,' as you so bluntly put it," Sebastian stated with a playful smile, bowing with his hand over his chest.

The vampire before us seemed to calm down a bit at the sudden greeting, an almost amused smirk appearing on his face.

"Hmph, you talk funny. And you're so damn polite; it makes me want to puke. Tch, well I might as well make the most of this." I narrowed my eyes at seeing Percival mimic Sebastian's bow and he lifted his head to meet the butler's gaze. "Percival Winters, at your humble service," he declared with a mocking tone.

Sebastian merely intensified his glare towards the vampire's introduction. Out of nowhere, I felt the butler's gloved hand reach back and curl over my left, clenching tightly onto me in a protective manner. Percival took notice of his simple action and his livid expression returned.

"So it was you…_you're _the one who has been bewitching my Janelle and turning her against me!" Percival clenched his fist, drawing blood from his palm. "I can just smell it…you're nothing but a heartless _demon_!"

I saw the butler's shoulders begin to tremor, and at first I thought he was angry. But it was only due to the deep chuckle that broke from him. The black-clad man in front of me was not the least bit phased.

Percival growled at Sebastian's unexpected reaction and the butler cleared his throat before replying. "How perceptive of you, though I would have expected as much from a mere vampire. If you were _human_ however…" The demon cut himself off with another chuckle and then looked up at Percival with those devilish magenta eyes, his pupils turned to slits.

"You believe that I am bewitching dear Janelle? Hmm…a reasonable accusation, I suppose. But Mister Winters, has it ever occurred to you that perhaps…" Sebastian's lips curled up into a taunting grin. "She is drawn to me on her own accord?"

My cheeks flushed a bit when I felt his gloved fingers squeeze my hand more tightly after what he just said. Those flustered feelings were soon dashed when an enraged aura surrounded us and needless to say, it was Percival's doing. I felt Sebastian begin to take me closer against his back, if that were at all possible with our already near proximity.

Percival's cerulean orbs were now a distorted red as he quickly gathered up all his tremendous power.

"_I'll kill you for corrupting her!_"

The hostile vampire dashed towards us and Sebastian swiftly took me up in his arms, easily dodging and leaping towards a safer direction. Percival gave a menacing hiss and continued pursuing the demon butler, his urge to kill getting out of control.

"Goodness, what a troublesome beast. I suppose I have no choice but to waste my time on him," the raven-haired man stated with a sigh and then quickly approached an unruffled dwelling for me to stay out of harm's way. He placed a finger to his lips with his close-eyed smile. "Be good now, my dear. This will only take a moment."

I hesitated, opening my mouth to say something but he gave me a warning glance that forced me to stay put. Hearing that Percival was getting near, the butler merely stepped forward into the center of the forest, waiting for the violent attack that would soon set upon him.

As expected, a few gusts of air passed and suddenly, Percival was standing right in front of the demon, his fist having been caught and now trapped within the butler's grasp.

"You are despicable. I ask you _not_ to waste any more of my time and allow me to kill you quickly," Sebastian declared, his demonic eyes returning.

"Shut up!_ I'm_ the one who's going to finish you and take her_ back_! She belongs to _me_!" Percival spat viciously, his face twisted into one that matched a true monster.

I could sense Sebastian's devilish, black aura awaken and overcome him and the vampire before him. Both of their dangerous auras were colliding and I hated to admit this but, it almost seemed as if Percival's was as strong as the demon's emanating power.

But no…I refused to believe that anyone could overcome Sebastian. But the unsettling feeling still resided in my agitated conscience.

The demon's glare pierced right through the vampire, who's fist was still being clenched and formed cracks under Sebastian's forceful fingers.

"You are mistaken. I do not believe she belongs to anyone but herself." The demon smirked at his immediate thought that followed his statement, but he temporarily brushed it away. "As for taking her back…" The cracks began to spread down Percival's hand as the demon pressed harder. "I'm afraid I won't allow that to happen."

Percival growled and used his free hand to strike at Sebastian's face. The butler merely leaned back to dodge it, but was surprised when the force of the blow managed to leave a cut on his cheek.

The vampire didn't stop there. He wrenched out of the demon's iron grip, despite nearly losing his arm from the careless yank, and began throwing attacks at the butler in such a speed that could not be seen with the naked eye.

I gasped and stepped forward, yearning to leave the safe spot despite Sebastian's warning against doing so. I knew this was coming. Percival was terribly strong, and over the years I hadn't seen him, he had only gotten stronger.

The butler grimaced and continued successfully dodging all of Percival's attacks, however, not without attaining several more cuts that grew deeper and longer with the growing intensity of the vampire's power.

I shook my head; my dormant pulse felt like it was actually beating faster at seeing this rabble unfolding before me.

Percival stopped attacking for a brief moment and Sebastian took a few steps back. The butler's tailcoat uniform was much unkempt compared to before, bearing various thin rips here and there, with slivers of blood dripping from the equal amount of cuts that covered his body.

The vampire smirked at his handy work. "Hah! Why aren't you fighting back, Mister Butler? Don't tell me you're a pacifist like my sweet darling over there."

The demon sent a sly grin back at him. "You are quite quick to judge aren't you? I am merely getting started." Sebastian took up a predator-like stance, his eyes flashing once. "I swear by the end, you'll regret ever meeting me."

And thus, the real fight began. My hand clenched onto the front of my dress again. I couldn't believe this was happening. One minute, I was trying to hunt, and in the next, my ex decided to appear and take on the prime butler of the Phantomhives, who so happened to be a demon that _no one_ should mess with.

My eyes could barely keep up with the fast, but incredibly lethal blows being exchanged between these two men nearly equal in strength. I watched as Sebastian was actually beginning to enjoy the intense fight that Percival was stubbornly carrying on, a most amused smirk remaining on the butler's face. In comparison, Percival's fury and impatience was just getting worse, and I feared that any moment now, he'd snap and really do something that could actually harm Sebastian.

The butler's swift kicks collided with the vampire's torso, sending him high in the air and crashing into the trees surrounding them. Percival gritted his teeth and grasped his stomach, thinking on the spot before dashing behind the tree he had just hit and pushed harder against it, forcing the tree to descend towards the demon.

I shielded my eyes with my arms from the large amount of debris that began to pick up from the fallen timber. A large amount of dirt and stray birds flew into the air, making it harder to see in the darkness of the night. All I could make out from the battle now were the frustrated cries of Percival and even more thunderous quaking of disastrous tree fall.

Both of my hands slipped into my hair and clenched onto the top of my head, the panic rising within me once again. What could I do? There was _nothing_ I could do. I hated standing here and just watching, worrying and wondering over the one I loved…

Wait…_love_? Was that really how I felt? But all those years, I had convinced myself so many times that I wouldn't allow myself to fall in such a helpless trap again. I didn't want to do this. I didn't need this. I was only going to get hurt again. Happiness? It was just wishful thinking.

"Get the _hell_ out of my way!" I heard Percival shout and thus snap me out of my thoughts.

My eyes widened when I noticed the two getting closer to where I was. Once again, the impulsive vampire was throwing sharp punch after punch, with the butler side-stepping in such a graceful manner; one would think he was gliding on ice.

The demon butler sighed casually, placing a hand on his forehead while evading another blow. "You know, I'm getting rather bored. You may be strong, but your moves are highly predictable."

Percival clenched his teeth and then in the corner of his eye, he spotted me not too far away from Sebastian. "Oh yeah? Then I should try something new, eh?"

With that, the vampire threw a few more attacks to distract the butler and back him up closer to where I was. I could hear the low snicker that escaped Percival before his eyes connected with mine for a second. He then shifted his feet, and in the next moment, his final and fatal attack was no longer aiming at the butler, but at me.

Percival had finally snapped. There was no stopping him now. His fangs were bared, his eyes were flickering red, and his clawed fist was racing towards me. I took in a useless breath that merely disappeared into my empty body. The fires in my throat helplessly roared on.

Something swept past me in that instant and all I saw was pitch black. It wasn't what I thought.

My deep blue eyes widened further in utter horror when the expected pain did not meet me. Instead, specks of blood splattered on my face and Percival's hand was now drenched with that same blood. Sebastian's blood.

The vampire's punch had gone right through the left side of Sebastian's chest as the butler had moved to shield me at the last minute. My trembling hand reached up to cover my gaping mouth, staring in utter shock at the demon's slender form, his deep red blood dripping down to the ground.

I couldn't see it, but Percival's face was written with the same amount of shock, his blue eyes darting over the butler and trying to figure out how the demon was still able to stand upright without falter.

Sebastian winced slightly, though the pain was nothing compared to what would have happened if he had let Percival reach me. The vampire's frown deepened in returning anger at seeing that resilient smug smile crossing the butler's mouth.

The demon set his stained gloved hand onto Percival's arm, ready to pull him out. "Well, that was indeed an interesting move…but rather barbaric all the same."

Percival growled and yanked his arm out without holding back, causing the butler to step back a few steps to regain his balance. Feeling Sebastian's body coming near me again, my throat screamed at me to take advantage of the fact that the butler was dripping with delectable blood. I could feel the heat rising to my eyes, changing them to that fearsome red again. Sebastian glanced back at me, sensing that I was trying to fight my merciless thirst but made no move to step away from me.

The male vampire's breathing sped up when he noticed the butler looking at me with eyes that held something that drove him over the edge with mad jealousy and possessiveness. He saw _affection._

His body violently shook and he could only see distorted images due to his blinding rage. He raised his fist once more, ready to end this once and for all.

"_Vile demon!_" he roared and charged for us.

Sebastian's eyes blazed magenta once more and he took a step forward. "I've had enough of this foolishness."

Before Percival could make another move, he was suddenly crumbling to the ground, his arm twisting in agonizing pain. I watched as Percival was on his knees, grasping desperately onto his upper limb.

"You…you…!" the vampire tried to say but cringed over from the immense pain that the demon was inflicting on him without lifting a finger.

"Ahh, what an effective way to silence you. But it doesn't look like you're in enough pain…" Sebastian spoke with a voice that I barely recognized.

The demon took one more step towards Percival, earning another blood-curdling scream from the vampire. Sebastian's grin grew, his demonic fangs revealing themselves as his intent to finish him was infinite.

Yet before the demon could take joy in destroying him, a familiar cold hand grasped onto his arm and his eyes returned to their usual crimson. Sebastian turned around and to his surprise, saw that I had stopped him.

"Percival, leave now," I simply stated without looking at the demon butler.

Sebastian's eyes widened slightly, before hardening into a glare brought on by confusion at my mercy.

Percival looked up slowly, meeting with my emotionless gaze. He shook his head, gritting his teeth due to the aftershock of Sebastian's mind attacks. "Not…without…you…"

"Go _now_, or he'll kill you. We're done, Percival. You know that," I repeated seriously, clutching tighter onto Sebastian's arm.

The male vampire didn't want to accept that hard truth, but he knew that I was giving him a chance to escape and live on. His fingers clenched into the dirt before he moved one knee up and steadied himself back on his feet.

He stared into my eyes once more and I could see that there was that usual glint of mischievousness in them.

_Janelle, _he thought. _You are too kind for your own good…_

Without bothering to say another word or sparing the demon butler a glance, he took a few steps backwards before turning fully and dashing off into the night. The leaves rustled and the signature gust of winds that followed his run settled after him. A bellowing silence set upon the two of us remaining.

My fingers finally released the butler's arm, which had grown tense throughout the whole ordeal. Sebastian turned to me and I readied myself, clenching my hands before looking up and facing a darkened and frightening crimson glare directed at me.


	24. Like Cocaine

**Warning: This chapter contains a lemon_, _in other words, sexual content. If you don't feel comfortable reading such things or have a strong dislike for lemons, then...er...you can maybe skim the end part or skip it all together when you get there. I don't know; do what you want.**

**Phew, I broke my writing virginity with this. Now I feel like I can call myself a veteran...or maybe not still. I'll just go with 'pervert'. Anyway, there may be a few more smutty things in future chapters, just a heads up. Yes, a pervert I am indeed. At least I'm legal now. xP**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

"Why did you stop me?"

His voice was stern and cold and I knew that he wanted a straight answer from me. Yet at that moment, I could not think of a rational reason why I had just let Percival go. Sebastian could have finished him off then and there, and I wouldn't have to worry about him hurting me anymore. His expected question had me thinking twice about what I just did, and the only words that came to mind spilled from my mouth.

"I just didn't think he needed to die…at least, not yet."

Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed and his frown deepened. "I do not understand you. Why should he not be killed? Would you not agree that ridding him from existence would be the best course of action?

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. I chose to break eye contact with him and decided the ground was suddenly more interesting.

The demon stared me down, and since I hadn't said anything back, he took my silence as further evidence of what he would say next.

"How pitiful. It was the opportune moment to get rid of that vermin in your life. And yet, you're still holding on to him, aren't you?"

His words seemed to have hit the mark, despite me not wanting to believe it myself. Percival wasn't good for me, I knew that. But now that I was thinking it over, I was starting to realize that my mind wasn't ready to see him die at that moment. For some reason, seeing him again and hearing the truth, after all this time, reopened the inner wound in my chest. To think I was just starting to heal, but now I was utterly confused.

"You disappoint me."

I froze at hearing that sudden statement. A twinge of pain shot through me at hearing him say those specific words. It was small, but to me, I was still able to detect it.

I slowly locked eyes with him again. All I saw in that scarlet glare was resentment, and what looked like pure hatred. He never looked that way at me before.

Shaking my head, I tried to reach out to him. "No, Sebastian, it's not what you think…"

"Then what is it, Janelle? I'm beginning to grow tired of how indecisive you seem to be." He couldn't seem to hold his tongue before it escaped him. "You're so _weak_, like a worthless human."

A hint of bitterness began to rise within me. I shouldn't be surprised; I was foolish to think that someone like him would truly empathize with me. He was a _demon_, after all. As usual, I was horribly mistaken.

A forced smile cracked on my lips and I distanced myself from him, ignoring the stupid lump forming in my throat and the sharp burning that remained active within me.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped, Sebastian. I _was _human before, and despite being what I am now, I still exhibit some weaknessesthat come with being mortal."

I shrugged lightly, giving off an air of indifference. "In any case, thank you for saving me. I'll try and be stronger next time…"

As soon as I spoke, I turned away from him before my defensive front could break and he would see how truly weak I was. I started walking, not exactly thinking over where I was going. I just wanted to run, like I always did. No one would have to bother coming after me anymore.

Sebastian's hardened glare remained for a few seconds, until something snapped inside him. His blackened heart began to take on a steady beat, growing in intensity with each step that I was taking farther away.

He clenched his jaw, his fists curling at his side. He cursed inwardly at himself. The raging demonic instinct that had been ready to rip that abusive monster to shreds had taken a strong hold on him, making him say those hurtful words. Whether or not he had meant it wasn't what he was dwelling on though, the fact that I was _leaving_ made him feel angrier. Along with the slight throbbing in his chest, he was surprised to feel what seemed almost like…regret.

He shook his racing thoughts out of his mind and focused on one thing. He wasn't about to let me escape so easily.

I could feel the internal wound getting bigger and bigger as I entered a trance-like state. I needed to get as far away as possible, away from everyone in existence. Isolation was my solution.

Yet just before I took another heavy step, I suddenly felt strong, familiar arms lift me off my feet and the side of my face collided with a warm chest. My body was suddenly being carried within the demon butler's firm grasp. His actions were so fast; it was as if I had never touched the ground.

"What are you doing, Sebastian?" I asked quietly, afraid to look up at him, my face still pressed against the front of his suit.

"Taking you back to the manor, of course," he replied with a tone that was suddenly much softer than before.

I cautiously raised my head, my hand grasping onto his coat. He looked back at me with that old smile again and his eyes held no trace of hatred like before. I narrowed my own, how did he change moods so quickly like that? It was like he was never angry.

I lowered my gaze and chose to rest my aching head against his chest. Unknown to me, his blood red orbs began wandering over my body, taking the opportunity to make sure I wasn't seriously injured.

His examination stopped abruptly on the appearance of my pale white skin and the innocent showing of cleavage peeking through the partially unbuttoned front of my dress. He couldn't help but smirk at that desirable, rare view and the dormant hunger he had tried to suppress in front of me, began to rise within him. He wondered what the rest of my hidden body looked under this annoyance of a dress, and the urge to rip the clothing off in order to satisfy his lustful curiosity nearly drove him mad. He inwardly scoffed at his sinful thoughts. This obscene desire was just convincing himself more of being deathly ill. But, maybe, he didn't give a damn.

Moving those provoking thoughts aside, his eyes then wandered down to my bare feet, which were slightly covered in dirt and looked badly withered. His frown deepened at such an unfitting sight on a woman and therefore, he chose to speak up about it.

"My dear, you really should not get into the habit of running around bare foot like a careless child. It is quite unbecoming."

After hearing him say that, my feet rubbed against one another in shame. I gave him a shy smile before answering. "I didn't want to bother wearing shoes because I thought I'd be able to return quickly. Besides, even if my feet got cut, the wound would heal before I knew it.

He sighed in an exasperated manner. "Regardless of that fact, your feet still get rather dirty. Please consider wearing shoes next time, Janelle." He then tilted his head and revealed his close-eyed grin. "For me?"

I studied his sweet expression and briskly looked away. Why did he have to pull such an adorable expression in order for me to listen? Damn…

"All right, Sebastian. I promise I will," I replied, inevitably giving in.

"Excellent," he stated, nodding his head in approval.

A brief silence cut in between us before another remark came from him. "I find it somewhat hard to believe that you were ever involved with such a despicable waste of a man, Janelle. Your patience with his uncivilized behavior is simply astonishing to me," he admitted, growing disgusted at thinking about the certain vampire and brutal fight that had just ended moments ago.

I chuckled at his disdain towards my ex. "Yeah, I surprise myself too. Just goes to show that I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

He smirked, his gloved fingers pressing gently into my waist. "Oh yes, my dear. You are quite…" He pretended to act as if he was straining himself under my weight, adjusting my body within his grasp and groaning for effect. "...the _heavy _idiot."

I raised an eyebrow at him, crossing my arms. "I appreciate your chivalry, though if I'm so heavy, why do you bother carrying me? I'm capable of walking, Sebastian."

The demon butler merely smiled and continued carrying me like a precious princess, holding me tighter against him so that I wouldn't try to slip away. "Why can't I carry you? Besides, I don't need you dirtying up the mansion by tracking any more mud or dirt." His crimson eyes shined down on me with amusement. "And who said I was doing this out of mere chivalry? I chose to carry you based on my own free will."

A true smile began to appear from me. "Are you sure about that? I _am_ pretty heavy, you know."

He chuckled. "I was merely teasing you, Janelle. You're not heavy at all." His words were truthful, for his arms weren't feeling the least bit worn out. "I am a demon, as you already know. Lifting you is like lifting a fallen leaf or a piece of paper. Simply nothing. It would take, say, a billion of you to weigh me down, perhaps," he joked again and I playfully rolled my eyes.

"How very kind of you to say so," I said with sarcasm, though I wasn't mad in the least bit.

"Any time, dear," he stated back and then continued concentrating on the road home.

This time, a longer silence fell on us, and I had to admit, being carried in Sebastian's unwavering arms was actually rather comfortable. Strange, normally it would be quite the opposite. But I didn't care. Being near the devilish butler was pleasing to me regardless.

I smiled lightly at my next few thoughts. I suddenly felt like one of those classic fairytale maidens in the old storybooks my mother used to read to me all the time. A maiden being taken all the way home in the arms of a handsome and brave, knight-in-shining-armor. But to me, Sebastian really was that knight, clothed in nothing but black with the solemn moon enhancing his mysterious demeanor. He was able to put Percival to a frightful stop after all.

Sebastian felt me leaning against him as I closed my eyes in a form of rest, and meanwhile, he was contemplating over the events of this seemingly long night.

He had known from the very beginning, ever since I had jumped out my bedroom window to disappear into the forest during the darkest hours. He had had an inkling feeling that something dangerous was going to happen, and thus, he had followed me from the start, all the while evading my senses with adept stealth.

The demon had seen it all; from the moment that man had appeared before me, until his intervention. He was a witness to the horrid abuse that the male vampire had inflicted on his ex-mate, and the reason why he hadn't come in to rescue me earlier was because of two things.

One, he wanted to see if I could fight back on my own. And two, he wondered if I was actually willing to return to my past love.

He couldn't count how many times he had fought the dire urge to claw that man to pieces when he laid those treacherous hands on my already-beaten body. The rising demonic energy inside of him, at that time, was nearly overwhelming and he swore he could have easily turned Percival into dust.

As far as he was concerned, he had seen that I had failed to defend myself against the male bloodsucker, which had made him more furious. At first he had thought I hadn't bothered putting any effort in fighting back, until he realized that Percival was in a rank much higher than me in terms of vampires. Percival was _born_ as the immortal being after all, and was easily capable of changing humans and overcoming anyone that got in his way. That was, until he met Sebastian, of course.

The butler's patience had been wearing thin throughout Percival's violence towards me before the cursed vampire decided to stop. Then it came, the part when Percival had finally spilled the truth.

At that very moment, Sebastian's fury had nearly taken its toll. Percival was trying to seduce me back into his grasp, and the demon was almost positive that I was going to give in to the bloody bastard. But those minor thoughts were nothing compared to the boiling rage that was eating him alive. Seeing the vampire's hands touching me in such a sensual way angered him so deeply, he wanted to raise hell.

_No one, not a single person should ever dare lay a finger on her! She belongs to _me_. She is my-_

That was when shock joined in with the powerful emotions that were erupting inside him. He couldn't believe what he was thinking.

His _mate_? This mere woman, a human-turned-vampire, was his supposed mate? The one he was destined to be with?

For the several centuries he had lived, he had never thought much of potential mates, or women in general. Of course, he had his fun taking advantage of a few from time to time, but it had meant nothing to him. All he wanted were souls, delicious, corrupted souls that he could enjoy taking control of and gain to satisfy his ravenous hunger.

But things were different now, aside from the usual hunting for souls. There was no use in forcing himself to think otherwise, for his demonic instincts revealed the truth.

There was no way he was going to let anyone take his mate away from him, just as he would murder any other vile demon that dared to lay hands on his current contract-the precious soul of Ciel Phantomhive.

In that silent, frozen night, treading through a forest that was unyielding to any stray human exploring alone, the demon couldn't stop the nagging feeling of regret towards letting me fall at the hands of the male vampire, despite having been there the whole time.

Once again, this was something he rarely felt, and he knew it was obviously related with finding one's mate for the first time.

Despite fighting his stubborn ego for so long, he had to say it.

"Forgive me."

When I heard those barely audible words that could only be caught with exceptional hearing, my eyes slowly opened from my temporary rest. I lifted my head to look at him, but he wasn't looking back just yet.

"Did you…just say, 'Forgive me?'" I questioned with confusion.

He nodded ever so slightly and gazed down at me with eyes that read an unknown emotion. "Yes, and I hope that you can. You see…" He paused before continuing. "I was there the entire time. I saw what you endured, but I prevented myself from saving you earlier."

Once again, another facial expression that I had never seen cross his face, revealed itself to me at that very moment. I had never seen him look remorseful in a genuine sense before. Some strands of his long black bangs fell over his eyes and swept to one side, his crimson orbs still holding that unreadable emotion.

Anger or disappointment? I felt neither of them. I wasn't upset over his confession in the slightest.

"You need not apologize, Sebastian. I am only glad that you had come for me at all. That's all that matters."

His eyes brightened at hearing me say that. "Is that so? You do not feel negatively towards me?"

I shook my head with a light laugh. "I don't think I truly could, even if I tried," I admitted, patting his chest in reassurance.

He gave a small smile. "Perhaps you should not have said that," he replied with a hint of playfulness.

I shrugged. "Well, I think I'm heading down to Hell anyway. What else is there to lose?"

Just by that single statement, the grin on his face couldn't have gotten any wider due to his pleased disposition. By the mention of his dreaded homeland, he could only imagine what it would be like for me if I ever did fall into Hell.

Chances were he'd be there with me till the end…and beyond.

* * *

Entering the Phantomhive estate not too soon later, the warmth that came from the lightly burning fireplaces throughout the manor engulfed me in no time. For now, I was allowing Sebastian to take me wherever he pleased, for I was too overwhelmed with trying to keep my wilting sanity intact. Sebastian's blood still stained his clothes, and being so close to him, I was slowly going to lose my head.

_I will not hurt him again. I will not take advantage of him after all he had done for me. _I kept repeating those words in my mind, willing the infernal voices to remain silent. But I was losing terribly.

In mere seconds, the demon butler maneuvered through the maze of various hallways, stopping in front of a specific door and managing to turn the knob without setting me down to the ground.

He pushed the door open with his foot and did the same as he closed it without turning around. My hand had been clutching his coat so tightly all this time, but I began to loosen my grip as soon as he sat me down on the soft surface of a bed.

I lifted my head and took the time to examine the room we were in, only to find that it wasn't familiar to me at all. But just by smelling the scent that lingered in the vacant, dry air, I knew where I was.

"This is...your room…" I stated my thoughts out loud without question.

At the moment, Sebastian had his back turned to me as his gloved fingers began loosening the buttons of his tailcoat. He turned his head over his shoulder and smiled. "Indeed it is. I have taken you here as part of your 'punishment' due to running off in the middle of the night." His smile took on a more sly appearance. "I'll be keeping my eye on you from now on."

I laughed. "Oh really? What am I, your pet?"

His smirk only grew wider. He chose silence as he fought the urge to say 'yes' and proceeded in relieving himself of his tattered tailcoat.

Suddenly I felt like I was a useless fish out of water. I couldn't take it anymore. His undying and tempting scent was the only thing clouding my senses, and I knew that if I didn't leave now, I would most definitely try to attack him.

Without thinking over what I intended to do next, I jolted up off the bed, the door present in my targeted vision. My cracked hands reached for the knob, but just as I had barely opened the door, a gloved hand slammed it closed with one single force. The slim frame of Sebastian pressed up against me from behind, causing my own body to push up on the door.

"Where do you think you are going, dear? You are not allowed to leave this room just yet," his velvet voice purred in my ear, his warm breath tickling the side of my cheek.

I winced, and began gasping heavily. I could sense the steady pulsing of veins in his neck, begging me to sink my vicious fangs into them.

"Please…Sebastian…just let me go. I can't…stay here," I struggled to say, my forehead leaning against the door in my distress.

He didn't listen to me, but instead, his left arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer towards his warm body. I could feel his defining muscles under his clothes, and to make matters worse, his soft lips latched onto my shoulder, kissing all the way towards my neck, his teeth nibbling the neglected pale skin.

Another feeling began to build up inside me, developing from my core. A strong sense of desire flooded me along with the unsatisfied thirst. I had felt this before, and it was only ignited by this demon butler, who was trapping me in his alluring grasp. My mind and body began to betray me as I was quickly losing all sense of rational thought. There was only one thing I wanted and one thing I needed. It was nearly impossible to try and avoid him now.

I inhaled and exhaled unneeded air, right hand crawling up on the door as his lips became greedier with his own growing desire. His mouth lingered on my back, his left hand wandering up to the rest of the buttons on my front and slowly released them. His other hand, which had rested firmly on the door, took hold of my right. His fingers intertwined with mine and his palm encased my cold hand. All I could feel was him, and he was doing a damn swell job of pulling me back.

"Janelle, don't try and fight it anymore. I'm right here. You should know by now that I have no qualms in helping you alleviate your pain." His smooth tone was full of honesty, taking further hold of my being.

I began to shake my head in my thinning resistance, until he finally broke it by running his hot tongue up my frozen neck and thus, completely driving me over the edge. He then forcefully spun me around, with my back pressed against the door and his arm still firmly grasping my waist.

He could see my eyes burning scarlet with ravenous thirst, as well as something much deeper. He could smell the all too familiar emotion emanating from me, and he couldn't wait to use that to his advantage. He wasn't going to hold back when it came to me. He was going to have me right where he wanted, whether I liked it or not.

As I faced him, I noticed he was only wearing his white dress shirt, which was fitted loosely on him in a way that made me yearn to see more of his body. His signature black coat, vest, and tie were set aside on the desk in the far left corner of the room.

I could now admire his slim form a little more clearly, and the hint of his silky-looking skin peeking out from under his shirt was drawing me further into him. I was starting to wonder about what I was getting myself into with my dire temptations. But with my animalistic instincts kicking in, I was willing to indulge.

I watched as Sebastian tugged on the middle digit of his white glove on his left hand, removing it between his teeth in an utterly slow and seductive manner. The last of my resolve vanished when his uncovered left hand, bearing the eerie contract symbol, crawled up to loosen a few of the pearl white buttons before reaching to the collar of his shirt. He tugged it down to fully reveal his slender neck, his crimson eyes capturing my deep blue ones in hypnotizing seduction.

His invitation to his rarely attainable skin was ready for me, and I snatched it without a second thought.

I heard a soft groan escape his smooth lips once I had finally buried my sharp fangs into his silken skin, and to me, the sound was utterly pleasing to my ears. I wanted to hear more from him, and the aggressive, vampire side of me intended to go further with this dangerous demon.

His rich blood immediately filled my deprived mouth. For some reason, he tasted even better than before. With each vicious gulp, it greatly doused the angry fires that were beginning to cease, leaving me filled with a surge of energy. It made me feel much stronger than I had ever felt in my life. Was this a taste of his strength? Was he inadvertently lending me a piece of his ever accumulating power? I wasn't so sure, but I felt like I could destroy anything.

There was something else I detected in the dark and delectable taste of this demon's blood. It was something that awakened a sense of euphoria in me, as well as setting off a burning lust that I now was able to identify.

I had to stop, the fires in my throat were no longer roaring within me. I quickly found the will to do so and retracted my fangs from his neck, allowing my tongue to lap up at the residues of the red liquid tainting his skin.

When I finally pulled away and looked up at him with my returning blue irises, his were already staring back at me, with such an intensity that urged me to go on.

Without hesitation, my lips slammed against his in a much wanted kiss. In a mere instant, he responded with enthusiasm, kissing me back with as much fervor and guiding me into a rougher lip-lock.

My mouth was already open and his adept tongue slipped into the moist cavern, able to taste his own blood that still lingered while massaging my eager tongue. His agile hands wasted no time, assaulting my body with equally rough touches that left me wanting so much more. Before I knew it, in the next second, the remaining buttons of my dress were removed and he briskly slipped it off my shoulders, yanking the sleeves from my arms and allowing the garment to pool around my ankles.

With only the thin undergarments that got in his way, he stripped them from me with ease and I could feel the cool air rushing against my colder skin.

Our mouths had been connected the whole time he had shed off my clothes. Eventually, he broke away, my lower lip latched in his dominant mouth as he did so, and then his petal-like lips attacked my waiting neck once again. His head leaned over me and both of his arms tugged me closer against him.

I used this brief opportunity to grasp and undo the buttons on his loosened shirt, quickly sliding the sleeves off of him and finally revealing his toned and desirable upper body. My eyes glazed over his chest and noticed that despite having been stabbed all the way through, there was no wound or scar, as if he hadn't been injured so brutally just a while ago.

Sebastian abruptly pushed my back against the door in the next second and my fingers gripped onto his shoulder blades, feeling him grinding his lower region against my bared warmth, stirring up the aching feeling that spread from my core.

I closed my eyes and my nose turned to bury into the crook of his neck, noticing that my breathing was starting to pick up in pace because of his intimate actions. His arms then lifted up my legs from a standing position to around his waist, allowing himself to press his hardness deeper against my center. I leaned into his hold on me and let out a small gasp when his hands went to grab tightly onto my bare bottom.

Another gust of wind blew past us and I found myself being placed on his bed as he climbed on top of me. His hands firmly pinned my wrists on either side of my head, and he used this moment to drink up the sight of my naked body, completely vulnerable to him. His lips curled into that delicious smirk as his blood red orbs admired the round, fullness of my stark white breasts, down to my developed hips, over my relatively thick thighs and back up to my pale stomach, in which he could still spot the scarred word that was written diagonally. He ran his slender fingers over the scar, glad to see that it was much fainter compared to when he first saw my bared skin.

Feeling his delicate touch over my body, as he continued roaming his experienced hands over my curves, sent mind-blowing tingles all over. I bit hard into my reddened lips, struggling to hold back my urges.

"You…are simply beautiful, Janelle. It's a shame that _other _men were rewarded this sight before me…" he whispered in a husky tone, gazing up at me with a flash of lust in his eyes.

I could feel my cheeks getting flushed, and it only grew more so when he removed his right glove with his left hand and began fondling the sensitive area between my legs.

"Oh my, wet so soon? But we are just getting started," the demon stated with a sly grin before swiftly letting two of his fingers enter my moist folds.

My hands gripped onto the untouched sheets, keeping my mouth firmly shut despite the amazing pleasure that began shooting up my body. He smirked at my reaction and let his left hand caress my inner thighs, plunging his long digits in and out of me in a painfully slow and teasing manner.

I couldn't help the sharp gasps that escaped me when he entered a third finger and quickened his movements. His fingers explored freely inside my wet warmth, curling the digits inside me and swelling with pride at hearing a small whimper slip from my open mouth.

But he wasn't pleased just yet. He wanted to get a stronger reaction out of me. He wanted to hear me _scream_.

Without waiting, he removed his fingers, locking eyes with me as he sensually licked my liquids off before bending back down. He lifted my thighs over his shoulders and spread them slightly to allow himself better access. I could feel his raven black fringes brushing against my inner legs and then let out a louder gasp when his slithering tongue slipped into my folds, immediately thrusting the skillful muscle against the hidden bud inside. While he did so, his hands grasped my thighs and moved my hips back and forth to intensify the pleasure.

With his continued stimulation, I could already feel my first orgasm begin to shake me, the coiling feeling in my core beginning to unravel itself. Feeling his tongue hit my clit once more, my thighs shook in his grasp, reaching my first climax as my body arched forward. I leaned my head back, letting out a stifled, low moan.

As Sebastian lifted himself up and licked my sweet taste off his lips, he couldn't help but frown. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "Hmm, why do you feel the need to hold back, Janelle? I want to hear your voice."

Through half-lidded eyes, I could see his well-defined abs outlined by the hint of moonlight shining through a tiny window of the room. His black trousers were riding terribly low, hugging his form below his slender hip bones. This time, I wanted to play.

He noticed me staring at his groin and his smirk deepened. His long fingers reached for the button of his trousers, opening the front and finally revealing his hardened length to me. I flipped over onto my stomach and got on all fours, crawling towards him like an animal ready to pounce.

As he kneeled before me and watched my every move, my hand reached out and stroked his length, admiring his impressive size and thickness. Thinking about when he would finally take me was making my patience wear thin, but for now, I leaned forward and opened my mouth, allowing his erection to fully enter my moist cavern. His length was long, the head hitting the back of my throat, but I willed myself not to choke. My cool tongue began running over the sensitive skin of his member and I moved my mouth up and down, pumping his length slowly.

He closed his eyes from the growing pleasure, his fingers slipping through my tangled, fuchsia locks. His hips began moving forward, wanting to go deeper in my mouth. He heard me groan from his movements, and the vibrations from my voice further stimulated his engorged member. Along with that, the feel of my lips slipping up and down was nearly driving him over the edge.

He was getting close, I could feel it. I opened my eyes and stole a glance up at his face, seeing that his smooth lips were parted as his breathing grew heavier. I sucked on him harder and he let out a low groan, leaning his head back. Hearing him motivated me to please him even more, and my left hand reached up and caressed his lower back.

Soon enough, his member began throbbing in my mouth until he also came for the first time that night, his tough muscles contracting against my hand and another sexy groan slipping from his lips.

His crimson eyes were hazy with extreme desire, and he watched me pull back, a string of saliva and cum connecting my lips with his member. I licked my lips just as he had, swallowing the thick cum in my mouth and then inching closer to him.

He parted his mouth, about to say something until I pushed him down onto the bed, climbing on top and boldly straddling his hips. His pants were still on, but I didn't care. I wanted, no, needed him _now_.

I decided to tease him first, a small smirk forming on my lips as I rubbed my aching, wet warmth against his length, grinding on him in slow, tempting circles.

The demon below me growled, his eyes flashing magenta. Before I could stop him, his black fingernails dug violently into the soft skin of my hips and slammed me down on him, finally filling me whole.

It was his turn to smirk triumphantly, watching my face twist into one of pleasure and hearing a light moan escape me. He hummed in content, beginning to thrust his hips upward to meet my movements.

The pleasure was multiplying with how oh so _wonderful_ he felt inside of me. I immediately rode him, rotating my hips and trying to make him hit my sweet spot. I let out a breathy sigh, driving his thick length into me harder and faster and feeling the tingling excitement spreading throughout my core. My breasts were in his full view as my hands grasped onto the headboard of the bed, strands of my long hair slipping over my shoulders and baring my back.

I couldn't control the moans that snuck out of my mouth, feeling the second orgasm coming closer and closer, and it was further intensified when I felt him biting and nibbling on my breasts, massaging the neglected one with his warm hands before switching.

My hands clenched tighter on the headboard. I was getting close again, so painfully close.

The demon butler, however, still wasn't pleased. He hated that I was taking the upper hand, and he wasn't going to allow that for long. He could feel my soaked walls beginning to clench around his length, and he could also feel the special spot inside me that I kept missing. He growled lowly again, and before I could reach my second climax, he pushed me off of him and took my arms, rolling me over so that he was back on top.

I whimpered in protest, my chest rising and falling from the loss of unattainable satisfaction. My eyes began to glow red in slight anger as he took his turn to tease me, dipping only the head of his member in me and then pulling back.

"Sebastian…no…" I ended up saying, the aching feeling inside of me getting worse.

"I want you to beg, Janelle. What do you want me to do?" he asked with sly innocence, continuing his annoying tease.

"Take me now, damn it," I muttered, my cheeks burning at having to say that out loud.

"What was that? You need to speak up, my dear," the cursed demon said in a suave tone, his hips barely touching mine.

"Sebastian, please, just take me now!" I snapped, my hands wriggling under his strong grip.

"There we go. Good girl," he commented with a smirk before finally thrusting hard into me without holding back his strength.

My head immediately leaned back, my breasts colliding against his muscled chest and my freed hand reached up to my mouth. I bit into my own hand to suppress the louder moans that erupted from me.

Sebastian panted with his stronger thrusts and then glared at seeing me biting into my wrist. "No, no, dear. Don't do that."

He forced my hand out of my mouth, now able to hear my softer moans. He smiled and then grasped my thighs. As he caressed my skin, he pushed his thick length all the way into me before pulling out all the way and then plunging back in. He continued that cycle, finally setting off my second orgasm as my walls tightened around him.

When he felt me reach up and sink my fangs into his right shoulder, a powerful combination of burning pain and pleasure surged through his body and towards his loins, intensifying his gratifying plunges within my well-lubricated folds. The throbbing bud deep inside begged for further release. My fingers dug hard into his upper back and I lifted my hips to join each of his stimulating thrusts. His hot semen filled me completely as soon as his second climax hit, our thick liquids meshing together. But we didn't stop there.

We continued exceeding our limits, our bodies intertwined and our rougher movements matching each other perfectly. All I could hear now were the sounds of our hips constantly meeting each other, the wet, slippery sound from my warmth every time he thrust deeper into me, and the creaking of the bed, along with the headboard nudging against the wall due to Sebastian's inhuman strength.

He was hitting my sweet spot every time without falter, sending me on an impossible ride of pure ecstasy. His crimson eyes met with mine, and in one rare moment, I was seeing tenderness behind the devilish stare. It was something he was willing to let go of in front of me, and it set me aflame. My hands massaged over his chest and abs, wishing this incredible feeling of being so close to him would last.

The third climax was quickly approaching and his thrusts were more desperate, telling me that he was close as well. Just before we came, he leaned his head down and captured my lips. His kiss was gentle and numbing to me.

As soon as I came, my moan was muffled by his mouth. I felt him bite hard onto my lip once he reached his climax a short moment afterwards. I tasted blood from my lips, but his velvet tongue swiftly swept it off my mouth.

Only then did we finally stop. His body remained close once he pulled himself out of me, wrapping his arms around my body and taking me into a warm embrace.

My cold temperature contrasted with his, but at that moment, I felt warmer than I ever did. In the past, the horrid strangers who had taken advantage of me would always leave me feeling frozen and lost every time.

My eyes wandered to his flawless face, my icy digits reaching up and leaving a trail down his slim cheeks. He took my fingers and held them to his mouth, pressing his soft lips onto the tips and leaving behind tiny tingling sensations. His sleek, black fringes were swept to one side of his face, some stray strands falling over his crimson eyes.

Now that my thoughts were returning to me, not even Percival had ever made me feel this way before. That was when I finally realized something. There was no use in trying to deny it any further.

I was trapped deeply in the dark clutches of this demon before me. I fell hard…I was ridiculously in love with him.

He ripped my chest without mercy and my scarred heart was stolen once more. With this acceptance of my true feelings, I had no idea of what would happen to me this time…

During my current contemplation, Sebastian was studying my naked form in his grasp. My right hand was intertwined with his left and his right arm was around my waist. I was resting on my side and his crimson eyes chose to linger on my face.

He could see my lips were plump and bruised from his abusive kisses. My cheeks were slightly flushed against my pale skin, and he couldn't help himself from letting his fingers caress the side of my face. At feeling his contact, he watched me lift my head, but grew concerned when he saw a hint of sadness residing in my ocean blue eyes.

"What is the matter?" he asked me quietly, holding my chin.

I opened my mouth, nothing coming out at first, before finally speaking up. "Did…I ever make you feel doubt? About me…still having feelings for…"

I didn't have to finish my sentence; he already knew who I was talking about. He gave a light frown. "I would be lying if I said I didn't."

I moved myself up, resting my upper body on his chest. "Forgive me. I didn't mean for you to ever get involved. I know you have more important duties-"

He placed a finger on my lips, silencing me before I went further. His eyes narrowed into a slight glare. "Janelle, you know that it would be quite inevitable for me not to get involved. That man was an intruder on Phantomhive territory. Even if you and I were not as close as we are now, I would still have to get rid of him either way."

My eyes widened at what he just said. Replaying his words in my head, I could have sworn that there was a very discreet hint of a confession or a clue of his feelings towards me.

Was it at all possible? Could a demon like him ever feel the same way? It was quite doubtful, but…

His fingers then ran through a few strands of hair framing my face and his eyes grew serious. "No one is ever allowed to touch you the way I have done."

I gave a genuine smile towards his words, clutching his hand tighter. "You swear you won't let that happen?"

The signature smirk crossed his lips before morphing into that close-eyed smile. "If I couldn't protect you, along with my master, then what kind of butler would I be?"

My blue eyes twinkled in silent bliss before I rested my head in the crook of his neck. His hand gently settled on my skull, letting his fingers play with my hair.

Although the words he said were nowhere near a lie, it wasn't what he had in mind before stopping himself from saying so. Seeing that I was happy regardless of what he didn't mention, however, he let the matter slide for now.

He was just content that he had fully taken me as his, and because of that, the stranger of my old life couldn't harm me any longer—the wretched excuse of a vampire running amuck.


	25. Sweet Corruption

**My god, each chapter is getting longer and longer! And it's taking me longer to write them out... -_- Still, I love it.**

**Warning: There is a small lemon in the beginning of this chapter (hurr, hurr, another one? Yes, 'cause I'm bad) Feel free to skip or skim if uncomfortable. Other than that, hope ya like! :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

With the contact of the hardwood floor against my feet, a small creak still emitted no matter how gently I walked. I grimaced a bit at the annoying sound but continued on, casually letting the bed sheets slip off my body, thus leaving me completely naked.

A small hint of remaining moonlight shined through the window of his room and illuminated my pale skin, making me look like a stray ghost haunting in the shadows. I silently crept towards my dress he had graciously folded for me before he left, the article of clothing resting on an arm chair near his closet.

I bent over to pick it up, long, fuchsia tresses slipping over my shoulders as I did so and effectively covering up my breasts as I stood straight. A dull ache in the areas around my hips came to my attention once my legs started moving again, but I didn't mind it at all. For once, I actually enjoyed this type of pain.

The other side of me laughed at those absurd thoughts, but now that I was beginning to indulge more and more with my vampire instinct, my innate masochism was rearing its ugly head. The teasing laughter in my head increased in volume, knowing full well that a sadistic demon was the cause of it... What a joke.

A soft and gentle sound suddenly met my ears before I stepped away from Sebastian's wardrobe. I halted in my movement and furrowed my eyebrows, wondering if I had just imagined that. Looking over my shoulder, I replayed what I had heard mere seconds ago and found that somehow, as strange as it was, it had seemed to have come from_ inside_ the closet.

It's those voices in my head again, I tried to convince myself. But something inside me urged to go forward and open up the wardrobe anyway, just for curiosity's sake.

"This is absurd…all that's in there are his clothes, I assume…" I muttered to myself quietly and proceeded to take hold of the handles.

With one quick motion, I swung open both sides of the wardrobe, not expecting much at all. The first thing I saw were several spare tailcoats and suits that basically composed most of his standard uniform. I couldn't help but scoff at myself, already ridiculing my own silly thoughts.

But then, I felt something unbelievably soft rub against my ankle and I froze in slight shock. I immediately looked down and saw, to my pleasant surprise, the adorable brown kitten Pluto had terrorized a while ago. I watched the tiny feline purring in content and then curling up against my leg, returning back to sleep.

A small smile broke across my face at seeing him again. I kneeled down, picking up the tired kitten and promptly returning it back into the closet where…I guess…it belonged. In doing so, my eyes widened when my fingers brushed against what felt like more fur. I quickly pushed the hanging black trousers aside and found find that there were, in fact, _more _cats hiding in the back.

A look of disbelief remained for a few seconds, before a soft chuckled escaped me. "Why on earth is he keeping all of these cats in here, of all places…? He's crazy…"

I stood up, shaking my head with a smile still on my face, and then gently closed the wardrobe on the sleeping animals.

My hand reached for the door knob and this time, it opened all the way for me without another disturbance. Pressing the button-down dress against my bare body, I leaned my head out and scanned both ends of the hallway. Finding that the humans were still fast asleep at this hour, and a certain demon was nowhere in sight, I slipped my body in between the door and wasted no time to dash down the hall, towards one of the distant bathrooms of the servant quarters.

A sigh of relief escaped me once I entered the spacious and empty room. I made my way towards the large, porcelain bath tub residing in the corner. Setting my clothes on the nearby countertop, I grabbed the bucket, gradually filling it up with hot water and then pouring it into the tub. Once it was nearly full, I placed the bucket aside and slowly climbed into the steaming water.

My tense muscles relaxed almost instantly as soon as my body was submerged in the tub. The hot temperature of the water was soothing to me and I didn't hesitate to sink all the way under, my head hidden below. I opened my eyes, the vision underwater distorting what I could see. The heat overwhelmed my senses and my mind drifted elsewhere, like it always did. I could stay under forever if I wanted to. Drowning wouldn't work in killing me; at least that was what I figured.

Alone again, I thought that _he'd _torment my mind. I thought those voices would come back and convince me with soulless words, dragging me further back to him.

But instead, all I could think about was not that vampire, but the demon. At the moment, he had gone to complete his routine preparations before daybreak, and I could only assume that it was about three in the morning when he left, now four. My hands moved slowly underwater to graze against my knees, reminiscing all that had happened, my thoughts lingering on what had occurred between us just moments ago.

Contentment washed over me at my mind being set to peace. I suppose there were some perks to being a sleepless creature after all. No one had to know. The night held all the dark secrets and hid away the evidence.

Unbeknownst to me, the sudden opening of the bathroom door seemed to have not caught my attention. But the contact of a familiar gloved hand touching my arm managed to do so, effectively snapping me out of my daydream.

Speaking of the devil? No, _thinking_ of the devil and he was already here.

I finally raised my head out of the water, moving my soaked hair back and allowing it to slide over my shoulder and onto my right. My hands gripped the edge of the tub and I looked up to see the demon butler before me, with a stern yet concerned look on his face.

"Janelle…what were you doing?" his smooth voice asked me with suspicion, his crimson eyes narrowed.

I blinked out the water droplets that crawled into my eye, rubbing the tip of my nose with the back of my hand. "Nothing, Sebastian. What did you think?"

Noticing that his expression still held seriousness, I quickly diverted the subject to something else. I shifted my body around, the water sloshing with my movements and allowed my left foot to emerge.

"See? Look how clean my feet are now. I just thought that I could use some cleansing since you said I was dirty…" I replied indifferently, my eyes wandering elsewhere once I turned away.

He sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "I did not say you were filthy from head to toe. Just your feet, dearest," he reminded me, his warm smile returning.

He saw that I refused to make eye contact with him, my hands brushing through my wet hair clinging over my chest. His smile grew sly when he realized that I was probably embarrassed by his sudden intrusion, and widened further at his next few thoughts. The malicious demon intended to make me feel more flustered, and he knew _exactly_ how to do it.

My ears caught on to the sound of rustling and I hesitantly peered to my left to see that he was shedding off his clothes. My mouth dropped and I unconsciously backed up against the other side of the tub, no words coming out at first. Seeing his pale abs and chest coming into view, I couldn't help the heat that was quickly rising to my cheeks.

"S-Sebastian, w-what do you think you're doing?!" I blurted out once he had his ungloved hands on his trousers.

He chuckled at me, not hesitating at all as his pants slipped down in the next second, allowing me to see his fully naked form for the first time. "Don't act like such a virgin, my dear. You should get used to me like this, as I intend to have you several times in the near future."

I gulped, holding back my violent urges as he walked over, getting himself into the tub beside me. "Y-You're joking right? Being the vulgar demon that you are…"

His smirk only grew larger and he moved closer to me, his wet, strong arms reeling me to him by my waist. "Why would I joke about something as _important_ as that? Besides, you cannot lie to me and say that_ you_ are not as naughty as I may be…"

His crimson eyes were piercing through my ocean blue ones, his warm breath hitting my burning face. I briefly broke eye contact and looked down, finding that my hands were attached to his well-defined chest. My cold fingers began sliding over his upper body, tracing and caressing his flawless skin. I noticed his smooth muscles contracting slightly under my touch and felt his hand slide over my right shoulder, teasingly rubbing over my scapula. With his body so close to me, and not to mention that he was almost as soaked as I was, my core began to ache with pure want. I couldn't deny that I craved for him again, even though we had already done the deed not too long ago.

"You're…beautiful…" I found myself whispering, my hands crawling back up to his chest and my eyes rose to meet his once again.

He smiled at me, moving a hindering lock of hair away from my face. "You think so? I don't believe you would feel the same if you ever saw my _true_ form."

I shook my head, biting my lip. "No…I don't think I would feel any differently…"

He raised an eyebrow at me, his lips curling as he stared at me curiously. "Oh? And what makes you so sure you won't be deterred?"

I hesitated for a moment on what I would say next, and then decided to just spill it. "I don't blame you if you think I'm insane-"

"You _are_ insane," he cut me off, grinning at me in a playful manner.

I laughed and rolled my eyes before continuing on. "As I was _saying_, back when I was captured by those other vampires…"

His grip on my shoulder tightened at hearing what I began to tell him and his expression darkened a bit. My hand reached up to his and he returned my grasp, intertwining our fingers. He waited patiently while I paused in abrupt concentration.

"Well…I'm not exactly sure what happened to me back then…did I die? I don't know, but whether or not I died, for perhaps a split second, I saw something strange…"

He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. "And what was this 'strange' thing you saw?"

I furrowed my eyes, trying to recall everything. "At first I saw all white, and then what looked like blood. Soon, everything turned pitch black. It was the oddest thing. But…what was most interesting was…"

I paused once more, shaking my head at the stupidity I was about to admit to him next. "I think I saw _you_. And not how you look now, but…you were like a dark shadow…surrounded by these green flames. I saw your eyes and I heard your voice…"

I laughed half-heartedly, my fingers loosening in his hold. "I told you, Sebastian, I think I've really gone mad. Think nothing of what I just said…"

He didn't say anything to me at first, but instead, a chuckle broke from him and I looked up to see his face was filled with amusement. "Ahh, you see? I'm always on your mind, aren't I?"

He enjoyed the pink that appeared on my cheeks, as well as the feeble punch I threw against his arm. "Don't tease me, Sebastian. I'm already embarrassed that I had to tell you all that nonsense."

"Come now, my dear, don't be like that. And what you just told me was _not _nonsense. In fact, it's quite believable," he assured me with his close-eyed smile.

"Are you being sarcastic?" I asked suspiciously, my eyes narrowing at him.

He shook his head, letting his fingers glide through my hair. "Not in the slightest." His eyes opened and revealed a mischievous look. "Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to see how I really look for yourself someday."

My eyes widened at what he said. "Really? You mean that?"

His smirk returned. "Do not count on me showing you any time soon though. It may be decades, or even centuries from now."

I blinked a few times at his statement and gave a sad smile. "You really think I'll be with you for that long? Because…I don't think…"

He frowned at me. "Why ever not? Vampires are immortal beings, if I'm not mistaken."

I pulled away from him and brought my knees to my chest, staring solemnly into the water. "You're a demon, Sebastian. You'll be off on other adventures in order to find more souls. You'll grow bored of me, I know it. Percival did after all…"

There was no response from him and I merely rested my chin on my knees, knowing full well it was probably the hard truth despite me not wanting that to happen.

Sebastian, however, did not believe in my words. Anger and annoyance grew inside him when I had mentioned that cursed man again. He just couldn't understand why _he _was still on my mind. Trying to shake off those raging thoughts, his fingers got caught in the multiple knots that plagued my hair. He saw that the damp strands were terribly tangled and swiftly looked to his side to find that a brush was set on a ledge near the tub.

"You should take better care of yourself, Janelle. Your hair is certainly quite a mess. Allow me to fix it for you," he stated in a soft tone, pulling my arm and bringing me closer to him again regardless of my defensive position.

I grew slightly surprised at his sudden forcefulness, but not that it bothered me. I obediently turned to my side and made sure all my hair was gathered on my right before letting him do as he pleased.

He proceeded to combing my long hair in a calming silence. I expected to feel hard yanks or pulls from forcing the brush through the tangles, but it never came. His hands smoothed out my hair and he brushed it through as if I was a tender doll that could easily be broken.

I didn't know how he was able to be so gentle yet effective in getting rid of the knots of my wild tresses. He was impressive, as always. I closed my eyes in rest, inhaling and exhaling deeply and relaxing into the pleasant feeling of the brush running against my scalp.

Meanwhile, he was watching me as he did his work, and grew content at seeing me look calm and at peace once again. Yet when I opened my eyes, he noticed there was water glazed over my ocean blue orbs and his hand reached over to touch the side of my face.

"What's on your mind, dear? Are you upset?" he asked with concern.

I quickly willed my eyes to stop welling up, rubbing them with the back of my hand. "Maybe a little. It's nothing you need to worry about though."

"Just tell me, Janelle." His voice was stern.

I shook my head. "I was just thinking about my father, as random and strange as it is…" I turned to Sebastian with the same sad smile. "He used to comb my hair too when I was a little girl, though it was a lot shorter back then…" I gave a small laugh and waved it off. "I'm being silly…thinking about him at a time like this…"

As soon as the butler saw that my hair was nice and silky after his treatment, he moved the fuchsia locks aside and moved even closer against me, his chest pressing against my shoulder.

I gasped at the extremely close proximity and was tempted to turn to him. "…Sebastian?"

He didn't answer me and instead, pressed his soft lips against my neck, trailing open mouth kisses down to my clavicle, with his tongue poking out every so often to taste my wet skin. I leaned my head back, confused at his sudden actions but enjoying the tingling sensations that began running up my nerves.

In the next moment, I felt something claw against my left collarbone and then realized that his fingers were digging into my skin, leaving long gashes down towards my chest with blood seeping out in its wake. I hissed in slight pain, yet at the same time, the new sensation felt familiar. Thinking back to the vision I had just explained to him, the pain he was inflicting on me felt like those burning fires that caused me no agony. It only left me feeling numb.

Drops of cold blood began seeping down my breasts and tainted the bath water with spirals of red. He continued clawing his way down my chest, going all the way until he stopped at my left breast, right over where my dormant heart resided.

His black fingernails released themselves from being embedded in my skin and his fingers flexed out, his palm resting over the left side of my chest. I lowered my head to look at him, only to find that his crimson eyes were glowing fiery magenta as he focused on his demonic energy. Before I knew what was coming, a sharp pain shot right through me and I gasped at this new feeling. It literally felt like his hand was clutching at my heart, despite it merely resting on my chest. I winced, but noticed that the pentacle on his hand was pulsing from dark red to bright magenta, just like his eyes.

The pain was increasing in intensity and it almost felt as if my frozen arteries and veins would combust inside my body. It reminded me of the time my humanity was stolen from me and I fought the dire urge to scream. Sebastian was quite aware that I was enduring great pain, but he willed himself to continue on with his task, hoping that I could hold on just a bit longer.

To his relief, I had been able to do so and the ominous glowing of the symbol on his left hand began to stop. The pain washed away in an instant, as if it had never been administered. All I felt now were the numbing aftershocks, like the pain of having run so hard, one's lungs would burn, only to have it disappear after the inhalation of oxygen.

He then allowed his hand to glide gently over my chest. No marking of any kind marred my skin, where his hand had resided, like nothing had happened at all. The only evidence of his unexplained actions was the claw marks and blood that still remained on my body. Taking notice of the blood that stained my self-healed skin, he grabbed both of my arms and leaned his head down to the juncture below my neck, allowing his moist, hot tongue to lap up the red droplets, his slender hands massaging my upper limbs as he did so.

I noticed my eyes were watered from holding back the screams that had begged to be released. As I closed them, a slight sting burned behind the lids, and a stray tear managed to slip through the ducts, sliding down my cool cheek.

His hold on my arms then wandered down to my waist, digging his fingers into the tender skin there as he licked the blood off of my left breasts, teasingly rolling his wet muscle around the pale pink nub. He felt me flinching in response and grew pleased at seeing the nub harden from his intimate ministrations.

"Sebastian…" I muttered unconsciously, my fingers clawing into his shoulders. At hearing me call his name, he continued onto my right breast and served the exact treatment, all the while cupping the other in his hand and squeezing it lightly. Whimpers of pleasure escaped me and excited him, he wanted to hear _more_.

Before I knew it, he grabbed my body into his grasp, lifting my legs and wrapping them around his waist. I gasped in surprise and clung on to him for dear life as he got out of the bath tub, streams of lukewarm water following his form and mine. I winced as he forcibly placed me onto the bathroom counter, the cold surface meeting my bottom. He had me pinned with his strong hands and before I could even look at his face, he had lifted my thighs over his shoulders, his slim and dripping body standing before me. He spread my legs open before I could even react, and lowered his mouth to my soaked warmth, immediately diving his tongue in between the folds and moving my hips up and down with his invading plunges. I let out a louder moan than I had wanted, and felt his delicious lips form into a smirk against my private area. I hadn't expected his sexual actions at all, and the fact that he was moving so fast escalated the hidden pleasure I had held back.

"Seb-_ahh_…_Sebastian_…" I managed to utter, but he ignored me, drinking up all the fluids that escaped my warmth, water droplets flowing down my pale legs resting on his shoulders.

I arched my back when I felt my climax coming so rapidly. He knew it as well, feeling my clitoris beginning to tingle against his hot tongue. But instead of going through to the end, he pulled his mouth away, licking his lips and watching my flushed face and hazy eyes staring up at him.

My mouth was slightly open and I attempted to say something but he pulled my hips closer to his, allowing me to feel his erection burrowing against the surface of my folds. I breathed heavily, clutching onto his muscled shoulders and he merely gazed down at my body, watching the water droplets dribble teasingly between the valleys of my breasts. Without warning, he penetrated hard into my lubricated, soft warmth, immediately thrusting deep into my folds and slamming against my throbbing clit.

My moans began increasing in volume and I tried to muffle them, burying my open mouth against his wet shoulder. He began grunting in pleasure from the feel of my walls clenching and unclenching around his thick length. My fingers clawed into his back and his dug into my hips, going harder and faster and quickly sending us over the edge. I could barely feel the blood that began seeping down my hips as I reached climax, throwing my head back and seeing flashes of white due to the pure ecstasy coursing through my body. He let out a low groan in response and his muscles contracted, sending tremors through his entire body before he soon released himself. Hot cum spread between our connected lower regions and he panted against my chest, leaning his head on the base of my neck. In the next few minutes, he pulled all the way out of me, semen dripping over my open warmth and leaving tingling sensations on my cold skin.

I was still getting over the unexpected high that I had just experienced for the umpteenth time, trying to retrace my thoughts and remember what I had been meaning to ask before he had taken me again. My legs were still wrapped around his waist and I was still sitting on the countertop. His hands moved up over my arms before his left reached over to my clavicle, burying his fingers into me again.

"Sebastian…what…" I began to ask but he lifted his head, piercing my deep blue orbs with his crimson ones.

"Janelle, you know perfectly well that you belong to _me_, correct?" he inquired in a quiet but serious tone.

My cheeks were tinted a slight pink at his words and I nodded slowly. "Yes…that's…what we are now…right?"

A small smirk broke across his lips. "You sound so unsure. Of course we are." He then rested a hand against my cheek, rubbing his nimble thumb over my skin. "Promise me something, dear."

I furrowed my eyebrows softly and grasped his hand. "What is it?"

"Refrain from doing anything incredibly stupid from now on and…look after yourself," he told me, resting his forehead against mine.

I was stunned by his sudden request, and saw that his eyes were closed in thought. Unknown to me, Sebastian replayed all my moments of weakness and insecurity in his head, as well as the moment when he thought I had tried to kill myself again in the water. Whether or not it was a suicide attempt, he hated that it was all because of the scars _he _left behind. The pest, whose name still slipped from my mouth. He wanted to eliminate him from my mind, no matter what it took. That was why…he did what he did. He claimed me, but I didn't know it just yet.

When he felt my fingers running through his silky black fringes, he caught my eyes and saw the joy residing in them.

"I promise, Sebastian."

His blood red eyes brightened at my response and he grabbed onto my legs, carrying me and setting me down to my feet. He then turned around to grab a towel, coming over once he caught hold of one and dried my body off. When most of the moisture was gone, I reached for the towel and returned the favor, soaking up the remaining traces of water off of his body.

As soon as we were both completely dry and clean, he took the towel back and began gathering his clothes, immediately slipping his pants on. I couldn't help my eyes from lingering on his back, his muscles moved in enticing ripples as he buttoned on his white dress shirt, vest, and then his tail coat.

He was now fully clothed before me, white gloves and all, and he took my waiting dress, placing it into my grasp and leaning closer.

"I'm afraid our time alone has come to a close, my dear. It is time to get back to business," he whispered to me, holding my head against his lips.

I nodded in response, ready to take on the new day. He smiled at me once more before placing a warm kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes from his comforting action and then he pulled away completely, gripping my hand before leaving the room.

Silence befell on me once more, but it didn't leave me feeling alone. I let out a deep exhale and unfolded my dress, ready to put it back on.

But before I made another move, I froze in place and my eyes widened when I discovered something. Shaking the article of clothing, what I hoped would slip out did not appear before me. Panic began to rise, but I instantly tried to calm myself down, remembering the words that Sebastian had just told me.

Don't do anything stupid, I told myself. Just think, where could it have gone too?

I stood there for a few moments, concentrating until an obvious thought struck me. I gritted my teeth in realization and clenched my hands.

I was such an idiot…

* * *

I couldn't find the demon butler anywhere, and I bet he was trying to avoid me on purpose so I wouldn't question him. Damn, I should have known he would pull something like that.

For now though, I decided to exit the manor and search the grounds outside. I wondered if perhaps it had dropped somewhere without me knowing during the nightly rabble. Maybe my prior assumptions were a bit too rash, and hopefully, he_ hadn't_ done what I thought he did.

I searched the area around the manor high and low, using my vampire speed to my advantage to quicken the process. Nothing, I couldn't find it anywhere. Even with my increased vision, I couldn't see it anywhere at all.

"Maybe, I wasn't meant to see her…" I muttered to myself, holding my chin in thought as I stood alone in the forest.

Out of nowhere, I heard the familiar voice of Finny yelling in the distance and I quickly turned my head. Without another thought, I raced back to the manor and toward the direction of the scream I just heard.

"Finny?" I called, whipping my head left and right.

"Ahh! Janelle! Watch out!" I heard his alarmed voice and before I could react, the strawberry blond crashed his body into my side, both of us falling to the ground.

I winched from the harsh collision but recovered immediately, placing my hand on the gardener's back and pulling him up to his knees. "Finny, are you okay? What's wrong?"

The blond panted heavily before answering, his gloved hand resting over his pounding heart. "P-Plu-Plu's…gone berserk! He's changed into his dog form and now he's breathing fire!"

I sighed heavily at the already horrific catastrophe, but was relieved to see he was unharmed. "You didn't do anything to provoke him unnecessarily, did you?"

The gardener's face bloomed in embarrassment and he sheepishly pressed the tips of his fingers together. "W-Well…I-I didn't meant for him to get so angry! I was just attempting to train him to obey and learn some new tricks! S-Sebastian thought I could do it after all!"

I chuckled at his nervous state and placed both of my hands on his shoulders. "It's all right, Finny, no need to be frantic." I then got to my feet, taking Finny's hand in mine and bringing him up with me. "Let's just track down Pluto and set him straight again."

Coincidentally, Pluto's howl shook the entire courtyard after I spoke. Finny rubbed the back of his neck and laughed uneasily. "I don't think that'll be too hard, considering he's coming this way!"

The ground below us began to shake and I stood protectively in front of the gardener. But instead, he abruptly pushed me behind him and spread his arms.

"No, Janelle, stay back! I won't allow you to get hurt!" he stated with determination.

I shook my head in protest. "Don't be silly. We have to stop him together."

His forehead creased in worry as he looked back at me, but before he could say anything more, the demon hound appeared right before us. Pluto's back was hunched in a menacing way and drool dribbled from his mouth, his sharp teeth bared at us.

"Oh dear, someone's an irritated mutt…" I commented nonchalantly.

Finny shushed me and took a few steps back. "Don't insult him, Janelle! He's already in a bad enough mood!"

Just then, Pluto charged towards us in a blind rage. Finny pushed me aside and bravely ran forward without holding back. I gasped in alarm but saw that the gardener took hold of one of Pluto's front legs, latching onto the hound as tightly as possible.

"Pluto! Snap out of it! It was just a game! You needn't have taken it so seriously!" Finny cried, trying to push Pluto back.

"Finny!" I shouted, and the gardener was flung into the air. I took a step forward, intending to intervene but saw the blond getting back on his feet. His clothes were slightly torn, yet he was perfectly fine.

The gardener then approached a partially scorched tree, uprooting it with ease, and ran towards the Devil Dog again.

"Behave, Pluto! That's enough!" he shouted and slammed the tree down in front of the hound.

Pluto roared in protest, stepping back from the powerful attack before gaining aggression. The Devil Dog merely stepped onto the brittle tree with his large paws, crushing it to smithereens and aiming at Finny again.

I growled and felt the heat rise to my eyes. I wasn't just going to stand around and let Finny take on all the abuse.

Before the hound could approach any closer to Finny, I grabbed a large rock near my side and hauled it towards Pluto's head. The projectile met the bull's eye and the hound flinched from the hit. Finny's turquoise eyes widened and caught sight of the stern expression on my face.

"Over here, Pluto! Why don't you take your anger out on me?" I suggested to the mutt, crouching down and readying myself to dodge.

The Devil Dog immediately turned on me, much to Finny's horror. I braced myself, seeing that Pluto's paw began descending down over my body.

Finny shouted to me but I was able to dodge his attack, jumping high into the air and landing roughly a few feet away. My footing wasn't as graceful as I wanted and I stumbled a bit, quickly steadying myself for any more of Pluto's advances.

The gardener watched in increasing anxiety as I managed to dodge most of Pluto's attacks. Some of his strikes managed to graze me, but not enough to get me down to the ground. Finny continued watching me closely, until he saw that my footing had miscalculated and I was open to one of his strikes.

"Janelle! Behind you!" the gardener warned me, reaching his hand out.

My legs froze and I slowly turned, seeing that Pluto's leg was hovering over my head. Finny began to run towards us and I raised my arm in a meager attempt to shield myself.

Out of nowhere, I heard Pluto howl in agony. I opened one eye and Finny's awestruck exclamation came soon after.

"Whoa! He's changing back!"

Pluto's whines began to grow weaker and sounded more like a human's. I cautiously opened both of my eyes and gasped when I noticed wisps of a strange, black aura surrounding my raised arm.

"Pluto!" Finny exclaimed and raced towards his naked form. The Devil Dog was now curled up on the floor, whimpering like a baby as the blond kneeled beside him.

I stared down at my right hand in utter shock, not knowing what to make of the bizarre occurrence. This had never happened to me before. It was strong enough to repel Pluto and return him back to his human form.

Impossible, I was never as strong compared to other vampires. That couldn't have come from my capabilities…

"Janelle?" I faintly heard Finny's voice but I didn't answer him. I kept wondering over how that aura had abruptly come about.

It was black, the strange 'power', or whatever it was, looked like something I had seen before…

Then it hit me like a lightening bolt, and I found my thoughts running all the way back to the demon butler.

"It must have something to do with him…" I found myself saying out loud.

"Eh? What are you saying, Janelle? Who are you talking about?" Finny asked me innocently, tilting his head and standing straight.

I snapped out of my reverie and smiled at him. "It's nothing important. Are you all right?"

He nodded with a cheerful grin. "Yup! I'm perfectly fine! And Pluto's strangely calm now." He then looked a bit concerned. "And you, Janelle? You didn't get hurt did you?" His hand began reaching for my arm, but I quickly retracted myself from his grasp. He looked at me with a confused expression and I held onto my wrist, still unsure of the black aura.

"What's wrong?"

I forced another smile on my face and shook my head. "I'm okay, Finny. Don't worry." I then looked down at Pluto's cowering form and narrowed my eyes in disdain. "We should get this troublesome dog back to his place. Maybe give him something to eat to calm his nerves…"

Finny nodded in agreement, though in the back of his mind, he was still wary of my dazed behavior. But despite his hidden thoughts, he took Pluto into his arms and together, we made our way towards the shed.

* * *

It was not until the late afternoon when I had finally caught sight of the butler again. I was carrying a stack of textbooks in my arms in preparation for teaching Ciel new lessons. When approaching the young Earl's study, however, I overheard Sebastian speaking with his lord.

"We'll be starting the investigation concerning the 'Noah's Ark' circus tomorrow. I expect that you be prepared Sebastian," I heard Ciel declare.

My eyes widened at hearing him mention the circus. I had wanted to visit there as well, even though I never figured out how I would be able to do so. If the Young Master had an assignment from the Queen to attend the outing, it just made me even more curious.

"Of course, master. I am always as ready as you are," Sebastian replied, and the sound of tea being prepared came after.

"Though while we're in London, I suppose I'll have to put my faith in the servants to watch over the manor…but then again, Janelle seems fairly adequate in keeping them in line…" Ciel muttered, taking the tea cup placed before him.

I pressed my ear closer to the door to decipher what the butler was saying next. "Speaking of Janelle, master, I believe I have found something quite interesting."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at his butler, who was smiling in a mischievous way. "Oh? And what could that possibly be?"

I stared down at the carpeted floor intensely, realizing that what I had assumed was correct after all.

Without saying a word, Sebastian pulled out the ticket I had received from Carlene from underneath his coat, holding it between his fingers with the close-eyed beam ever present on his face.

Ciel set down his porcelain cup with a small clatter, his eye narrowing in slight disbelief. "You have a _third _ticket?" Recalling his butler mentioning my name, however, he was quick to figure out where, or in this case, _who _he had gotten it from.

"Why did Janelle have that with her?" he questioned, but in a voice that sounded less harsh than I had thought.

The young noble then noticed his butler stepping away from his desk and striding toward the double doors in a calm manner. With his gloved hand set on the sturdy wood, he turned to his master with a glint of playfulness in his eyes. "If you want to know why, my lord, what better way to find out than to hear it from the lovely lady herself?"

Before I could step away from the doors, Sebastian opened them with quick force, causing me to stumble forward into the room like a clumsy Mey-Rin, nearly losing the books in my arms.

I hastily regained balance and shot a glare at the butler, who merely smirked at me with a knowing glance. I cleared my throat, gaining composure and silently approached Ciel, setting the books on a nearby chair.

Ciel had his hands clasped before him, his unpatched eye following my every move. "Janelle, would you do the honor of explaining yourself?"

I held my hands in front of me and bowed my head. "I wanted to tell you where I had gotten it myself in the first place." I looked up and met his dark blue stare. "When I was captured, my lord, one of the kidnappers gave that to me."

The Earl furrowed his eyebrows, pressing his lips against his folded hands. "Do you so happen to know these kidnappers, Janelle? I'm trying to understand why they would give something like that to _you_, of all people."

I hesitated over what I would tell him next. It probably wouldn't be a wise thing to hide anything from him, since he was a rather inquisitive young boy. He'd find me out in no time.

"No, not exactly. I never knew them, but somehow, they were people, vampires like me, who were strangely connected with my past," I started awkwardly but he nodded, urging me to continue. "One of them gave me that ticket because…she knew that I've been meaning to find someone. And she knew that the person I wanted to see is at that circus, as surprising as it is."

Ciel nodded again. "And you say you want to find this 'someone'? Is this person related to you? Why are you set on finding this person?"

I let out a nervous laugh and rubbed my hands together. "I'd be happy to tell you why, my lord, but it comes with a rather long story that you probably wouldn't want to be bothered with…"

Ciel sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Yes, you're right. I have no time for long stories."

The butler chose this time to cut in, stepping forward and standing beside me. "Master, are there any other thoughts concerning what she just told you?"

The young Earl scoffed at him, a small smirk setting on his face. "What, Sebastian? You intend that I grant her permission to come along on our quest?"

Sebastian merely chuckled at Ciel's curt remark and smiled innocently. "I don't see why not, my lord. We can't have the extra ticket going to waste now, can we? The circus only comes around once a year after all."

Ciel let out another depleted sigh, sinking in the logical reasoning the demon provided. Looking from his smug butler to my uneasy expression, he shook his head, not believing he was giving in. "_Fine_, all right then. Janelle, you may come along with me and Sebastian to the circus."

He immediately saw the spark of delight forming in my eyes and took on a serious gaze. "But know this, Janelle. I can't have you meddling around during our investigation. You are to do as you are told, while at the same time, you may look for whoever you are looking for. As long as you stay under the radar and refrain from causing unneeded sticky situations."

I bowed to him in gratitude and then nodded in agreement. "Of course, Young Master. I swear that I won't cause a single hindrance to your business."

Ciel gave a slight smile, knowing that I probably wouldn't make a mess of things. Glancing to his butler, he waved him off. "You may leave, Sebastian. Janelle needs to start her lessons now, am I correct?"

Seeing that the butler wasted no time to leave, I turned to the Earl as soon as he left. "May I ask that you excuse me for just a few minutes?" I asked, clasping my hands together with a pleading smile.

He simply took his tea cup back in hand, taking a sip. "Make it quick, Janelle," he said and allowed me to go.

I muttered a quick thank you, opened the doors and readied myself to move fast, only to find that I had bumped into Sebastian, who was waiting for me directly outside, having known I would come after him.

"Well, my dear, is there something you want to say?" He merely smirked at me, placing his hands behind his back.

I growled quietly and grabbed his arm, taking him further away from the door. Once we were in a relatively secluded area in the hallway, I turned to face him. "Yes, there_ is_ something I'd like to say. How could you do that to me? I appreciate that you were able to convince him to let me go, but I was going to tell him _myself. _You made me look like I was hiding things from him!"

Sebastian chuckled at my outburst and then abruptly took my face in one hand, causing my lips to pucker unintentionally in his hold and my cheeks to look a bit smashed.

"Don't be a hypocrite, my dear. The fact that you can't even speak to me in front of him proves that you _are_ hiding something..." He then leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "_Our relationship_."

I gasped in realization and immediately felt a bit ashamed. But when he pulled back to look at my face, he placed a finger to his lips, winking at me. "You may be capable of hiding things from him, but you can _never _hide anything from _me._"

His blood red eyes flashed with a hint of malice and gazed intently into my ocean blue irises.

"There are no secrets between us…"

My eyebrows knotted together and I spoke up. "What about you? I bet you have loads of secrets you haven't bothered telling me." I cursed at my voice sounding muffled and ridiculous, like a child. I held back the urge to wrench his unwavering hand off me.

His sly smile grew wide at my comeback and he gently shook my face in his hand. "In due time, dear, you will know."

"That means never," I replied plainly and he laughed again.

His smiling expression dampened a bit when he noticed my blue eyes grow darker and downcast. I was avoiding his gaze again and he knew immediately that something was off.

"Janelle, what are you thinking?" he said in a playful tone, trying to get me out of my slump.

In the morbidity of my mind, I pondered on whether or not to bring up what had occurred between Pluto and me. Yet knowing that Ciel was waiting patiently, I chose to ignore it for now.

"I'll tell you…soon enough…" I answered quietly, assuring him I was fine through my eyes. "Now, may I ask that you please let go of my face?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at me for a minute longer, before reluctantly letting it slide. His attention was then diverted when he caught sight of my soft lips. With a sly smile, he closed the tiny gap between us, enjoying the feel of the tender skin against his mouth. His grip on my face loosened, allowing my lips to move.

This kiss was short and sweet, unlike his normal roughness. Just when I thought I had jinxed myself at feeling his swift tongue running along my reddened lips, he pulled away, leaving me surprised and duped.

At seeing a frown beginning to form, he felt pride swell up inside him as he began walking away, still facing me.

"I'll trust you in telling me soon then," he said with a grin and began turning from me. "If you don't, I will _force it_ out of you."

With one last foxy glance from him, he sauntered down the hall and disappeared from my sight. Fixing my slightly disheveled state, I slapped my forehead, hating and cursing myself.

I was _so _deeply wrapped around this bewitching devil's finger. Honestly, I never learned.


	26. Green-Eyed Monster

**Phew! Another super long one! This one was a bit on the challenging side to write, considering Sebastian is such a difficult man...but that's what makes him so intriguing anyway. ;P**

**Thank you all so much for the recent reviews, follows, faves, AND astounding views! The support always bring a bit of sunshine to my day, every day! :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

-Percival-

Another frustrated cry escaped me and my hard fist slammed against another brick wall of a rundown building. I panted heavily, my shoulders rising up and down with my fist still burrowed within the crumbling wall.

Goddammit, _damn it_!

I cursed at nothing, everything, nobody, and everybody. But most importantly, I cursed at all the lousy _shit _that was happening. Nothing was going my way. And fucking hell, it had me pissed.

Releasing my fist, the bricks began toppling over all together. Staring at my own knuckles with piercing eyes, I could see the ugly cracks and bloody punctures I had attained from taking out my endless anger. I watched the marble skin begin to heal immediately, but my eyes continued burning with rage. I was still not satisfied. I felt literally on fire from the seething madness. I needed to kill something, _anything. _Yet what I wanted, no, _needed _the most…was…

I gritted my teeth, growling lowly as my fangs extended once again. Flashes of what had happened not too long ago, were still on replay in my mind. The memories constantly tested my thinning patience and boiling temper.

My fingers clenched harder, piercing into my palm and causing more of the thick fluid to spill out of the self-inflicted wounds. Blood slipped through the gaps between the digits, sliding down over my palm in cool rivers. The irises of my eyes flickered between cerulean and crimson and my distressed pupils staring intently at the plum red drops falling to the ground.

_I missed her._

I couldn't help but think of her hair as I watched my blood seeping out. Her long, beautiful wavy tresses that attracted me so much when I first laid eyes on her so long ago; it belonged to me. Everything about her was _mine. _I fucking created her. I made her what she was. She should be damn grateful that I gave her such strength, along with the gift of being an immortal.

She had needed to be transformed. Otherwise, she was just a worthless weakling. I saved her from the misery of remaining human. She didn't know what to do with herself, and _I _was the one who lifted her up.

A wide grin spread over my lips just then and I couldn't help but burst out in laughter, not caring that I sounded insane.

Even so, according to the encounters I had had with her thus far, she was _still_ worthless. She hadn't gotten any better and in fact, she seemed more pathetic than ever. I couldn't understand why she was so resistant towards giving into her vampire instincts. It was as if she resented what I so graciously granted her!

She was so damn weak, wanting to cling on to the last of the humanity slowly dying within her. And above all, she had to rely on a butler, no, a _demon _to-

At the fleeting thought of him, my pupils constricted into slits and I roared so loudly, the surrounding crows flew away all at once. My fist landed on another gray, feeble wall on the other side of me, the destruction of this distant abandoned village barely fulfilling my desire to kill. I threw my head back, glaring at the equally gray skies floating above.

Watching that stranger of a man _touching _my Janelle with such care infuriated me to no end. The raging jealousy was eating me alive and there was a stubborn, heavy pain residing within my chest.

"_You don't know what I've been through…"_

"…_all the pain you caused me…"_

"_Why did you leave me all alone?"_

Was this the so-called 'pain' she kept harping on about? Was this what it felt like? Her broken voice echoed in my mind with those useless words she said to me.

The other man had shielded her, protected her like his damn life depended on it. I wasn't going to take that, no _fucking_ way. Janelle was a fool for falling into his trap. The cursed butler had her right where he wanted, and he didn't give a shit about her. The only person she belonged to…was _me_.

Only I could have her.

Only I could touch her.

Only _I _could dominate her.

Those red eyes of his were false. He didn't care about her; that was right. He didn't feel anything for her at all. He was just using her for his own amusement. If only _she_ knew.

"You're so damn stupid, Janelle. So damn stupid," I muttered at the sky, closing my eyes and swallowing back the building fire in my throat.

Without another thought, I sped off and out of the village, heading toward downtown London in search of any humans, specifically _females_ to devour.

Multiple scents of various people, all with their unique scents, inflamed my insides and nearly drove me over the edge. Yet I acted as if the undying thirst was nothing. I had been dealing with this since the day I was born; it was only natural that bearing with it was simple.

A smirk rose to my lips. I could only imagine how hard it must have been for my sweet darling to fend for herself. Unless…

Another rapid thought struck me and my teeth clenched in disgust. To think she had possibly stooped so low to actually feed off that _demon. _Goddamn, it burned me up like nothing else.

Dashing in the shadows through alleyways that hid prostitutes and bums, my adept nose finally caught on to the most delectable scent out of the certain batch of humans I came across. I easily skidded to a halt and hid behind the wall of the nearest building, peering over and finding the host of the scent. The fires in my throat agreed whole-heartedly with my decision as I studied the targeted female.

She had blonde hair that glowed in the early afternoon sun, like untouched gold. Her face was so innocent and doll-like, reminding me of my beloved when we had first met. Thinking about her now, my darling's face no longer held that innocence. Hers only held constant melancholy, and a sense of maturity that was hard earned over the long years she had been through.

My blue eyes caught on to the distant female's honey brown ones and my tongue slid over my lips. I just couldn't wait to sink my aching fangs into her sweet, tender neck. Yet as I waited and watched the girl sending out what looked like fliers to people with another woman, I couldn't help but have a sense of familiarity towards her.

I thought hard and furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. Where had I seen her before, or better yet, _heard _of her before?

Seeing the other female heading off towards another direction in order to gain more attention, I ran closer in a split second and soon enough, was right behind the blonde woman. From where I stood, her scent was driving me wild with hunger and _lust. _She smelled so damn good, and hell, she was not that bad-looking for a mere human.

It'd be all so easy. I could easily seduce her into my grasp and drag her away. I had done it before several times; it was merely second nature to me.

Preparing myself with a charming smile, I took one step forward, only to retract my foot almost immediately once my eyes stopped on the one person I didn't expect to see.

The familiar red-orange hair and his charismatic grin-it was _him_, the host of that stupid circus.

Only then did it hit me. I finally realized who the girl was. Carlene had mentioned her from time to time when she had told me stories about her adventures in the circus. Through all the boring garbage I didn't care to retain, I was surprised that I actually remembered what she said about _this _girl.

Her name…was it Ivy? No, that was Carlene's stage name. Ah, it was Eva.

"All right ladies! You've done a fine job! We oughta head back to home base then!" the young leader stated with that resilient grin, waving over the other girl who had wandered off.

Damn! Of all the times, why did he have to barge in now?!

I watched the Eva girl and her partner gathering up the rest of the fliers and scurrying to catch up to the young man, who was walking with such exuberant joy as he chatted away.

"Tch!"

I slammed my hand against the wall I leaned against, leaving behind a ghastly dent before heading off again. I didn't care anymore; my patience had finally snapped.

Once I was far enough from the core of the town, I inhaled deeply, smelling the air and racing toward the first scent that caught my attention. I found myself on the other side of town, closer to where a quiet neighborhood resided.

Landing on the roof of a house, I spotted another girl walking alone on the cobbled street and instantly jumped down, not caring to use kind tactics anymore.

The girl before me shrieked in fright and I simply cut her off by grabbing her face, my hand covering her mouth. Taking her with me, I slammed her frail body against the wall of a distant building and gazed through her skull with burning red eyes.

Her cries were muffled and a smirk merely grew on my face. I shushed her, pressing a finger to my lips and bringing her closer to me.

"Be silent, my sweet. I assure you, you will feel no pain whatsoever," I spoke in a quiet, smooth tone that slipped through her ears like water.

My cool breath hit her face and made her shiver, her eyes shutting momentarily. Pleasure flooded me at seeing her fragile disposition.

"Any last words, darling? Remember, keep quiet or I will kill you slowly and painfully…"

My iron grasp loosened ever so slightly, noticing bruises were blooming on her face and her lips were quivering. Ahh, women were _so_ entertaining.

"P-Please let me go! If it's money you want, just take it and let me go!" she begged in a desperate, cracked tone, tears streaming down her distraught face.

Her pale gray eyes searched my blank cerulean irises, noticing my sudden calmness before the blue bled to red again. She continued to weep and plead but I simply combed my brown bangs out of my face with my other hand, utterly bored with the typical responses.

"Is that all, sweetie? Isn't there anything else you want to say? I'm not handsome for nothing, you know," I chuckled before adjusting my hands on her so that one was tightly grasping her shoulder and the other was holding her chin.

Before she could respond, I pressed my lips lightly on her trembling ones, savoring the soft feel of female lips. I pulled away, seeing her eyes were slightly dazed until I covered her mouth again and bent down, biting hard into her neck without hesitation. Her scream could have been heard all around the neighborhood, yet it was reduced to nothing but a muffled mess.

I drank every last drop of her blood in a matter of seconds, before letting her corpse drop to the ground with a simple thud. I licked the red off my mouth and my large fangs retracted to their normal size. Gazing down at the girl's open eyes and lifeless body, I thought of my beloved again. How much I wished she was here with me.

My eyes closed, feeling a burn that was not due to anger. Something cold and wet slipped down my cheek and I briskly wiped it away like it never appeared. With a turn of my heel, I vanished from the premises, leaving behind a nightmare and pieces of a broken spirit.

* * *

-Janelle-

"Please, Lord Ciel, isn't there any other method you could use besides this?! Who knows how much trouble I will get into! The commissioner will have my head!" the auburn-haired man, called Aberline, protested.

I watched the frantic officer trailing behind the Earl after having refused the money Sebastian had rewarded him for his 'cooperation'. So far, this young man was my first taste of the kind of people Ciel was associated with and frankly, it was quite interesting to see how seemingly easy it was for the Earl to have his way.

"As I have already told you, say I took the files and leave it at that. For now, you should worry about getting promoted instead, Mr. Aberline. I know you are quite capable," the young Earl stated with upmost confidence and effectively cut off the man from saying anything more.

With Sebastian and me by his side, we promptly left the office building, leaving the Scotland Yard member to ponder over his concerns alone.

"It would seem the lost children are still unaccounted for, master," the demon butler spoke up from behind the Earl as he guided him into the carriage waiting outside.

The Young Master sighed, taking his seat on the comfy cushion of the carriage. "That would appear so within the 'living world', but perhaps the 'underworld' may provide some insightful information."

The butler simply nodded in agreement and then turned to see me taking my time in walking up to the carriage. He smirked at me, raising an eyebrow at my strange slowness. "Why Janelle, already exhausted from the day's travels? We've hardly even started."

I snapped out of my daze and simply rolled my eyes with an amused smile. "No, I'm perfectly fine, Sebastian. Please pardon my slowness," I stated in a calm tone before daring to place a hand on the side of his face and letting my fingers sweep under his chin.

As I promptly took the seat opposite the young Earl, Sebastian's red eyes blinked in slight surprise at my action before setting his signature smug expression and getting in the carriage beside me.

Once the driver whipped the horses, we were off on a silent ride to a destination I was not so sure of. I glanced at Ciel, who was intently reading the long letter he had received from the Queen explaining about his current mission.

From what I had gathered, mostly from Sebastian, there had been unexplained disappearances of children recently, and strangely enough, they just so happened to take place wherever the Noah's Ark circus performed. Upon hearing all this and understanding that I wouldn't be granted the full story, it was already disturbing enough either way.

I narrowed my eyes, turning my gaze out the window and watching the townsfolk strolling about on their typical day. Focusing on the fortunate children walking amongst their friends and families, I grew saddened at the thought of those innocent kids being taken without warning. I could only hope that somehow, the unlucky children were safe. The fact that being kidnapped as an adult was terrifying enough, imagining being a captured child who didn't know enough of the world was horribly nerve-wracking.

Glancing back to Ciel and then to the butler beside me, I noticed the demon was wearing his usual serious expression when it came to business, along with a hint of boredom hidden in those crimson eyes of his.

I figured it was only natural for him to look indifferent, especially since he was the one tagging alongside the young Earl at all times. Not to speak ill of him, but being the demon that he was, I doubted he cared much for lost human beings, let alone children.

Resting a clenched hand on my chest, I wondered when I would become just as heartless, if at all. It had only been four years of my being a vampire, and honestly, I still felt very much human on the inside.

In all honesty, I was starting to agree with what Carlene had told me before I left. Maybe it was about time I gave in to being a full-fledged blood-sucking monster. There was no turning back after all, no way of becoming human again. Yet now that I was thinking about it, I didn't think I wanted to change even if given the chance.

My eyes fell on Sebastian's gloved hand resting on his knee, my vision becoming blurry as I grew deeper in thought.

If I was human again, my life would inevitably return to the way it was—normal, lost, and alone. Maybe, that'd be okay.

During my contemplation, the white glove disappeared from view and soon enough, I felt something poke the side of my face. I blinked several times and found myself looking up into Sebastian's vibrant red eyes, which were now shining with amusement. His index finger was pointed at me in a way that looked like he had just poked my cheek.

"What is the matter with you, Janelle? Come to your senses before you start slobbering like a dog," he teased, nudging his finger against my head repeatedly.

I made a sound of annoyance and covered my face with my hands, hiding from his view. "Please stop, Sebastian, you're hurting me," I pretended to whine, lowering my head in defeat.

His smirk grew wider and he drew closer next to me. "Is that so? Then that means I'm doing a fair job in keeping your mind from wandering aren't I?" he stated, resting an arm around my shoulders and allowing me to feel his body heat.

Ciel snuck a glance above the letter he was rereading and noticed our brief flirtation. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. He began to fold the letter and stow it away, all the while muttering to himself, "I knew this was a bad idea…"

Sebastian froze at hearing his master's words and the both of us looked up towards Ciel, who had his arms crossed and was looking out the window nonchalantly.

The butler narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What was that, my lord? Is there something you want to say?"

"Oh, no, no, of course not. Just keep fooling around over there, that's completely fine," the Earl waved his questions off in a sarcastic manner.

Sebastian and I exchanged momentary confused expressions before quickly realizing what he meant and separating ourselves from each other, keeping a fair distance between us for the rest of the ride.

I kept my gaze intent on looking outside, trying to stop the heat that was rising to my cheeks while Sebastian attempted to change the subject back to serious matters.

"So, Young Master, if you say that this case deals with the underworld, I could only assume we must meet with him again?" Sebastian stated calmly as Ciel returned his attention to his butler.

The Earl let out another annoyed sigh and nodded. "As much as I dislike it, we will have to pay him a visit. I want to return to the manor as soon as possible, so let's just go."

"Indeed, my lord," Sebastian simply replied and meanwhile, I was trying to figure out who they were talking about.

Of course, in the next few moments, my question was quickly answered when the carriage pulled up next to an isolated shop that had clearly seen better days. A sign that read, 'Undertaker', was mounted across the top. I suppose I should have seen that coming since they were talking about the 'underworld'.

The three of us exited the carriage and entered the small building, which was unbelievably dark and bleak, something I would expect from a place full of coffins.

"Undertaker, are you here?" Ciel called.

A morbid, almost maniacal, laugh broke the eerie silence and out of nowhere, a large human skull came rolling past us at high speed before crashing into a couple of stray items on the ground behind us.

"Hee, hee, hee, if it isn't the great Earl Phantomhive himself~! Did you finally decide to come and get into one of my special coffins~?" A black robed man with long gray hair covering his eyes appeared before us, his pose looking as if he had just bowled the skull.

Ciel scoffed and twitched his eyebrow. "Of course not, don't be silly. I have some important-"

The Earl was cut off by more excited and creepy laughter erupting from the Undertaker. We all warily kept our attention on the strange man, who gradually approached us.

"Earl, I sense you have yet another interesting presence by your side, excluding your butler~"

Ciel immediately knew who he was referring to. He furrowed his eyebrows at the rude interruption and exhaled heavily. "Yes, indeed, Undertaker." The Earl motioned with his arm towards me. "As you can see, this is-"

The Undertaker zoomed past Ciel, leaving the Young Master wide-eyed in shock as the gray-haired man suddenly took hold of my hands. "Oh my~ I've not had a female set foot in this place for quite a while. And you are clearly not an ordinary lass~!"

I gave a respectful smile, attempting to keep some distance but failing as the man continued drawing closer. "Oh...you don't think so?" I replied.

He grinned and cackled some more. "_No_, you can't fool me~!"

He rubbed the back of my hands with his long fingers, his black claw-like nails scratching against my skin. I began to grow extremely uncomfortable and behind me, Ciel had slapped a hand to his forehead while his loyal butler did not look the least bit pleased by the current display.

"Hee, hee, your hands feel so cold and refreshing, just like my lovely guests out back~!" he commented with the never-ending grin. "Tell me, would you be willing to allow your body to be dissected by yours truly~? I can just imagine your pretty little face resting in peace in one of my special coffins~" The Undertaker said all this while his hand rose to grab my chin, examining my face from all angles before his clawed hand began trailing down over my body.

"Um…well, I suppose a dissection would be interesting, wouldn't it? Though I don't think you'll see anything interesting in my body, so I must decline," I refused him politely, hiding my unnerved state.

"Aww~! I think not! Surely you must reconsider~" he urged me, laughing insistently.

Before I could say anything more, a pair of firm hands grasped onto my shoulders, and I recognized them right away to be those of Sebastian. I tilted my head to see the demon had his effective, close-eyed grin on his face, though I could tell by the dark energy emanating from him, he was strangely mad. He pulled me back a few feet from the Undertaker before speaking in his usual polite tone.

"I am sorry for the intrusion, Undertaker, but I'm afraid my master has some pressing matters to speak with you about," Sebastian cut in, his grip on me never ceasing in strength.

The Undertaker paused for a moment before his toothy grin came back into place. "Ah, is that so~? Then by all means, fire away, Earl~!" he declared before spinning around once and striding back to his desk in the back of the dwelling.

Ciel shook his head for the millionth time and nodded to Sebastian in acknowledgment before approaching the Undertaker. Only then did the butler release me before stepping forward and following his master. I chose to stay near the entrance of the building, hands clasped behind my back and waiting patiently for them. All the while, a small smile began to appear on my face as my eyes remained glued on the demon standing before me.

* * *

"Children's corpses hmm~?"

"Yes, we've brought you the documents. Have you, by any chance, tidied up any of the children in these files?" Ciel asked after explaining the situation to the cheerful Undertaker.

The Undertaker scanned through the files, lifting the papers high in the air. "Well, you'd think that I'd remember something as interesting as this~ I wonder…perhaps my mind has gone a tad foggy on me~" The gray-haired man than stood up in a melodramatic fashion and walked to the side of his desk.

"Earl, I'm sure you know the deal~ A first-rate laugh is what I seek before I express anything I know~" Undertaker requested, laughing in that creepy way again.

Ciel shuddered in disgust and gestured for Sebastian to take over. The butler let out an exasperated sigh before complying and stepping forward, fixing his glove on his left hand. "Well then-"

The Undertaker burst out in laughter once again, cutting Sebastian off and causing Ciel to be more annoyed.

"Oh dear, must you always rely on your butler to do everything for you~? Surely thinking of something amusing cannot be such a hard task that you alone cannot handle~" the Undertaker teased, leaning over his desk like he was drunk.

The Young Master grew more irritated, his pride taking a blow from the Undertaker's words. Without hesitating any further, Ciel got up from the coffin he was sitting on and marched towards the Undertaker.

"Fine then, _I'll _do it," Ciel reluctantly declared. He then turned to Sebastian with a frightening look. "Sebastian, take Janelle and leave." He jabbed a finger towards his butler. "And don't you two _dare_ peek. That's an order," he commanded, sending me the same death glare.

Sebastian simply bowed. "Yes, my lord." The demon then briskly turned to me and guided me outside the dark room.

Just like that, we were both standing outside, staring at the door in an awkward silence. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and turned to the butler beside me. "Sebastian, what was that all about? I don't understand why he required us to go outside."

The demon merely chuckled lowly and sent me his usual sly smile. "The Undertaker finds amusement in things that are better left unsaid," he simply replied with a wink.

I held my chin in thought. "You mean…"

Sebastian nodded, his smirk growing wider. "Indeed, my dear."

My eyes grew wide at the thought of Ciel doing something 'indecent' and I shyly met Sebastian's stare. "S-so…since apparently you're always the one stepping in…" Immediately, a blush rose to my cheeks and I turned away, holding my flustered face due to the dirty images of the butler appearing in my head. "Oh god…he's weirder than I thought."

Sebastian's gloved hands grasped my shoulders from behind and he leaned down close to my ear, his black bangs sweeping against my cheek. "Perhaps you are overthinking things, Janelle."

I gulped at feeling his nose graze against my neck as he inhaled my natural scent.

"You really are a naughty girl. What kind of thoughts are you having in your head right about now? Is a certain _demon _on your mind?" he continued to press with a wide grin, slowly running his hands down my arms.

Once I gathered back my composure, I abruptly stepped away from the butler's grasp, walking forward without sparing him a glance. With all those thoughts finally cast aside, I was still a bit embarrassed to look at him.

The demon narrowed his eyes at me, staring at my long, wavy hair covering my back. He saw that my arms were wrapped around myself as if I was cold, or perhaps even frightened. Between us, it was much too quiet for his liking, and while a random carriage rode past us, the question he had been meaning to ask me since the day prior provoked him to speak.

"Janelle, enlighten me, won't you?" he said seriously, approaching me again.

I turned around to him, my arms crossed casually. "Of course. What is it?"

"Who exactly are you looking for?" he questioned, his eyes holding what looked like disdain.

My blue eyes searched his for a moment, trying to figure out why he was suddenly so stern. Then I realized who he was possibly thinking of and gave a light chuckle. "Sebastian, don't be concerned. It's not who you think it is."

"Who said I was concerned? I was merely asking you a question," he stated teasingly, though I could tell he still held that seriousness.

I turned away from him again and gazed out into the distance, watching the everyday life of London calmly pass by. "I'm simply trying to find this girl I met a while ago, before I crossed paths with you and the Young Master, of course."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "A human girl?"

"That's right. I believe she's about my age…perhaps a bit younger," I answered with a nod, looking back at him.

"And what is she to you? A friend? A sibling?" he continued to interrogate me.

I paused at those questions, finally thinking over my real connection with her and realizing…there wasn't much between us. "H-Honestly…" I stuttered, unsure of what to say. "I'd like to think she was my friend. But actually, we were strangers helping each other out in a dangerous situation. She didn't even know my name…"

While I was busy with my thoughts, a chuckle broke from Sebastian and I turned around with wary eyes. His tone of voice suddenly changed. It sounded…mocking.

"I find that a bit absurd. You hardly know the girl, yet you're so intent on searching for her?" He laughed in that scornful way again. "Why waste time on a mere mortal that serves you no benefit, Janelle? Aren't there better tasks worth fulfilling?"

Perhaps I was being too sensitive, but his words struck a bad chord in me. I turned fully to him in a spark of anger, staring him right in the eye. "Like what, Sebastian? Do tell me what I should do instead because the sole reason why I'm looking for her is to set my mind at peace. I didn't treat her the way I should have...and she was the only damn person who actually showed me kindness and care, something I hadn't felt in a long time."

The demon's crimson eyes widened in shock at my bold outburst, all sense of humor washed away. He couldn't help but feel his eyes burning in discontentment at my bitter words and saw that I was undeterred by his demonic irises. The bit of ill feeling was then replaced with utter amusement as he watched me walk away towards the right side of the building and sitting on the dirt ground without thinking twice.

A malicious grin spread on his lips and a coiling fire began to rise inside him. How he enjoyed seeing this anger from me…

He didn't care if I was resentful or not and approached me again, standing over my isolated form against the wall. He offered his hand out to me and tilted his head. "Come now, Janelle, get up. It's hardly lady-like for a woman to be sitting on the bare ground like that."

I didn't bother sparing him a glance and concentrated my view on nothing in particular. "It's all right, Sebastian. I'm perfectly fine down here. I'm hardly a decent enough woman for this society anyway."

The demon gave a tired sigh, rolling his eyes at my negativity and reluctantly decided to join me, sitting down on the ground close beside me.

My eyes wandered to him, surprised to see that a fine butler such as him was actually sitting on the dirt ground. His long legs extended in front of him whereas mine were folded up against my chest. In the next moment, his gloved hand reach for mine settled on my knee, intertwining our fingers and holding my hand tightly as if I would pull away. With his warmth encasing my cold hand once again, I almost forgot why I was mad in the first place_. _Curse his stupid charisma.

In the back of the demon's mind, he grew agitated towards the complicated thoughts and emotions these silly humans often possessed. Knowing full well that I still held human attributes, it annoyed him to have to understand how I was feeling.

_Humans are so irritating. Unfortunately, they're not as straight forward as I had hoped… _he thought in slight frustration.

We sat together in a surprisingly comfortable silence, our hands intertwined and staring off to nowhere as we waited. The both of us were thinking about two different things while the hours of the day began to pass. I incessantly wondered why it was taking Ciel so long…with whatever the hell he was doing in there.

Sebastian hadn't bothered to say a word to me, and I often found myself sneaking glances at him, seeing that his expression hadn't changed at all. It was still serious, unmoving, and unreadable. I stared down at our bound hands, feelings his fingers shift ever so slightly in our grasp. I figured I should say something to him, try and break off this tension between us.

He sensed me moving my legs to my side as I rotated fully towards him and he, in turn, shifted his gaze and finally looked at me.

"Sebastian, may I ask you something?" I said, keeping our hands intact.

"That depends on what you're asking," he replied with a playful smile and seeing that I frowned, he merely chuckled. "Go ahead, what is it?"

"Well…" I suddenly felt apprehensive about asking him this, but decided to anyway. "What's it like being a demon?"

He snickered at my outlandish question and looked at me with bright eyes. "Why the sudden interest?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just curious. Come on, Sebastian, can't you tell me anything?"

He exhaled deeply and brought our hands onto his lap. "That's a hard question to answer, Janelle. There are numerous things I could say, and many others that I'd rather not express."

I looked down in thought. "Well from what I gather, adapting the ways of a demon seems more challenging than being a vampire…"

He shook his head with a smile. "Not necessarily. It all depends on the person's capabilities and will power. As you well know, both beings desire something from humans. We may be barbaric in our actions to attain it, but as a demon, I say that working hard for it proves for a better reward. I've learned not to use the tactics of a mindless beast."

I sunk in what he said to me. "I assume you used to do that in the beginning?"

He nodded with a distant look in his eyes. "A very long time ago."

His gaze then latched onto me with suspicion. "You're asking me as if you wish to become a demon. What is your reasoning behind this?"

He grew more curious when he noticed me looking hesitant about answering him. When I looked up at him, he saw tenderness, and was taken aback by such a vulnerable expression.

"No, no, I don't wish that. I wouldn't be a good enough demon anyway, considering I'm still adapting to the ways of a vampire. But…what would you think if I…was one?" I asked, nearly whispering the last few words.

I hated how timid I sounded, but I just couldn't help wondering what his thoughts would be.

At hearing my words, he finally understood my reasoning and stifled a laugh. "Janelle, you are honestly the most ridiculous woman I have ever encountered."

I intended to pull away from his grasp after what he said but he stubbornly held on, holding my hand close to his chest. "What do you mean by that, Sebastian?"

He chuckled and when he locked eyes with me once again, I saw the rare genuine kindness he often hid away. My pulse began to rise just a tad and I waited for what he had to say.

"I get it now. Are you wondering whether or not I would treat you any better if you were of the same species?"

Before I could utter another word, he pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me and gripping my hand more tightly. "If you think that the circumstances between us would take a better or worse turn in the case that you were, in fact, a demon, you are sorely mistaken. I do not care in the least bit whether you are a vampire, a demon, or even a _human_."

He reached his hand out to stroke the strands of hair framing my face.

"You are who you are, Janelle. Either way, I would still-"

He halted his words just then and I noticed his eyes suddenly widen in what looked like disbelief. The serene emotions that had been visible in those crimson irises vanished in a split second, drowning in a bloody, unreadable, blank stare.

Out of nowhere, he wrenched his hand out of my grasp and stood up from the ground in a matter of seconds, brushing the dirt off his coat before walking away from me and standing on the other side of the entrance. His back was turned to me and he hadn't spared me a single glance. There was no hint as to why his acting in such an obscure way. From where he was standing, it was a good distance away from me. In what seemed like a blink of any eye, he had left me terribly confused, going from one mood to a completely different one.

"Sebastian…" I softly spoke with caution, and noticed that he flinched ever so slightly at hearing my voice.

I furrowed my eyebrows and stood up from the ground, making my way towards him. "What's wrong, Sebastian, why didn't you finish what you were-"

"Don't you _dare_ come near me," the demon spoke with a tone that sounded cold and unyielding.

I gasped, withdrawing my hand from almost touching his shoulder. I took a few steps back when I saw him looking over his shoulder at me with a warning glare that held nothing but pure hatred. His cold red eyes looked almost predatory and sent an electric shock through my body.

I didn't understand him at all, but I chose not to say anything more and kept my distance like he wanted.

Another silence befell us, but this time, it left me feeling suffocated. And when Ciel had finally managed to get the Undertaker to answer his questions, it was as if the words exchanged between us were nothing. It meant nothing.

He treated me like he didn't know me. I made no other move, except to follow through.

* * *

It turned out that the Undertaker hadn't come across any of the children seen in the files. From the wily way the Undertaker spoke, it had almost seemed as if he was deceiving the Earl all along. But in actuality, he truly did not know of the lost children. This fact led the Earl and his butler to derive the conclusion of the children being alive.

It also meant we had to come to the circus in person that very same night.

My nerves began acting up once I had set foot on the grounds of the new environment. There were so many people, but I wasn't nervous about that. It was the fact that I was possibly close, so close to finding and seeing her again. Would she remember me? Would she turn me away? It wouldn't matter, as long as I saw that she was safe and away from the disgusting beasts of long ago. I would be at reasonable peace.

"Hmm, so far nothing strikes me as unusual…" I heard Ciel mutter to himself as he took the lead.

The audience held a fairly decent amount of people once we entered the large, expansive tent. The long seats surrounding the stage were designed with the common stripes that circuses often had. Above us in the center, there were three chandeliers with several candles, providing the sources of light for the awaiting performance.

As I took a seat in one of the empty areas, I didn't expect to find the butler taking the spot right next to me, although he still did not spare me a glance. Normally, I would be angry at the fact he was ignoring me, but frankly, I wasn't. All I knew was that he probably needed some space, for some unknown reason, even if the indirect messages he was sending me were confusing.

Just when I was getting comfortable, Ciel suddenly cleared his throat, causing Sebastian and I to turn our attention to him.

"Janelle, move aside," Ciel ordered, directing his cane for me to do so.

I furrowed my eyebrows slightly but bowed my head in understanding before scooting over, allowing the Earl to take the spot in the middle of us, effectively separating the butler and me.

Sebastian couldn't help but frown at his master's rudeness but Ciel paid no mind to what his butler had to say or think. Instead, he merely commanded of him, "Remember to keep an open eye, Sebastian. We can't afford to miss any important clues."

The butler came to his senses and merely nodded, though while his master wasn't looking, he stole a glance towards me and noticed I was intently scanning the crowd. Seeing the worry written on my face, he knew that I was trying to find the girl I had spoken of. He began to wonder what the girl looked like, for maybe that way, he could easily try and help me out. His thoughts were cut short however when he remembered his first priority at hand and thus, broke his gaze from me.

"She's not anywhere in the audience…Perhaps she'll be part of the performance?" I spoke quietly to myself, placing a hand above my eyes like I was shielding from the sun as I carefully surveyed the area.

"Hey there, how are you doing?" Out of all the chatter going on, a voice suddenly interrupted me.

I whipped my head to my side in surprise and looked up to see a young man standing right next to me.

He gave me a warm grin and pointed to the empty spot beside me. "Pardon me, but is this seat taken?"

I blink in surprise but smiled back and shook my head. "No, sir."

"Perfect!" he replied happily and plopped down right next to me, adjusting his position to get comfortable.

I paid no mind to him and continued examining the area until the man suddenly nudged my side. "What are you doing? Looking for something?" he questioned, noticing my strange actions.

I turned my head and blankly stared at him. "Oh, it's nothing. Just wondering when the show is going to start."

"Oh! It should start pretty soon actually. In about…err…five minutes!" the young man answered with glee, pulling out his pocket watch from his beige-colored suit.

At taking a better look at him, I noticed he was probably around my age. His hair was a curly, chocolate brown color and his eyes were of the same shade. His clothes looked rather decent and overall, he seemed like a nice and handsome fellow.

I nodded in thanks towards his reply and looked away, only for my attention to be pulled back to him, literally. In the next second, he had the audacity to reach out and stroke my hair, gently tugging on a few locks of it.

"Wow, don't tell me this is your natural hair color!" he said in awe, rubbing the strands together between his bare fingers and admiring the fuchsia color under the glow of candlelight.

I gave a light laugh and nodded once again. "No, it really is. Weird, isn't it? I'll have to thank my parents for that."

He shook his head, continually gawking at the locks he still held. "Well, by God, bless your parents because I believe this is beautiful." He looked at me with a sudden intense stare of admiration. "You're beautiful."

My eyes widened slightly and, to be quite honest, I was unnerved. For a male stranger to just come out and say that to me, it was very odd. Where have I heard a man try this on me before? Oh right, my ex.

Before I could say another word, a deathly shiver ran through my spine. An overwhelming black aura had surrounded me and the stranger just then. I knew this aura all too well, and I didn't dare turn around to see who it was. I didn't have to.

The demon butler had his gloved hands clenched dangerously over his knees as his crimson eyes began to bleed into that flaming magenta, his fiery glare staring daggers through the oblivious man's skull. Though Sebastian may have looked relatively calm, he was dangerously boiling on the inside.

Ciel noticed this right away and smirked in pure amusement. He had to admit, he took some joy in seeing his butler look so disturbed.

"Down boy, your tense disposition is beginning to grate on my nerves," Ciel commanded in a light tone, waving his hand for his butler to calm down.

Sebastian's eyes flickered back to normal and he turned his glare to his master. "I am not a dog, my lord."

Ciel merely scoffed and gave him a stern look that reminded him of his prior command.

Meanwhile, I kept my distance from the stranger next to me and cleared my throat, sensing that Sebastian's aura had calmed down for a spell.

"Thank you for saying that…but do you mind? I'm a bit uncomfortable…" I trailed off with a polite smile and he instantly got the message by letting go of my hair.

The man's cheeks turned pink and he shyly looked up at me. "My deepest apologies miss. I tend to have a bad habit of touching things that capture my attention."

A playful smile crossed my lips. "Oh? So does that mean you're an undercover thief? Shall I call the cops?"

The man grew panicked and waved his hands in the air. He was acting like a guilty adolescent.

"No, I'm not like that at all! I would never steal!"

Just as he had said that, the lights in the tent grew dim and a spotlight shone onto the center of the stage. I noticed the man wiping his forehead in relief and I could only chuckle at his nervousness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to the Noah's Ark circus!" a slender young man with red-orange hair stood under the spotlight. He was clothed in intricate, colorful clothes and was currently juggling several balls in the air.

"My name is Joker and if you will cast your attention here-Whoops!" the orange-haired man yelped in slight pain from the balls descending onto his head.

I heard the man beside me snicker and he glanced at me. "What a dork, he can't even juggle the balls properly!"

I merely shrugged at his comment and returned my attention to the stage.

"The whole circus is as excited as you are to put on a fantastic show! Let us begin with the fire-eating man…"

From there, the host of the circus continued introducing each of the equally unique members participating in the performance.

"Still nothing particularly special here…" Ciel muttered quietly on my right though I could still hear him.

"There is no sign of the children present either…" Sebastian added, keeping his attention on each of the performers.

"…Next is the Princess of our circus and master of the deadly tightrope walk!"

"Could the children's disappearances merely be a coincidence?" Ciel continued to voice his thoughts aloud.

After a man, who was half-snake and half-human, was introduced, my anticipation in seeing if she was part of the performance turned into disappointment. She was nowhere to be found. I started to worry whether or not she was even in this circus anymore.

"And finally, the main star of our show, I am proud to present to you our wild animal tamer!"

A young woman wearing a revealing, leather black dress and fishnets came onto the stage with a whip in hand and a large tiger by her side.

"For this act, we would like a volunteer from the audience. Would anyone care to participate?"

"Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" the man beside me waved both of his hands with enthusiasm and I inched back a little to avoid getting hit by his exaggerated swings.

"Even the final show has no children," Ciel let out a depleted sigh. "I knew coming here was going to be a waste of time."

My calm expression immediately turned to one of surprise when I noticed Sebastian had suddenly shot up from his seat, staring at something on the stage with such intensity.

Ciel looked up at his butler. "What is it, Sebastian? Did you find something?"

"You there! The distinguished-looking man wearing the black tailcoat, please step forward onto the stage!" Joker pointed right at Sebastian.

Ciel and I's jaws dropped in astonishment and the man beside me looked disappointed at seeing he was ignored despite his efforts.

"Come down, sir! Don't be shy!" Joker urged him.

My gaze remained focused on Sebastian as the butler sent a side glance to his master, who nodded for him to go.

As I watched the demon butler descend down the steps towards the stage, I tried to figure out what was possibly going through his head. If it was for the investigation, that was understandable of him to stand up like he did, but other than that, Sebastian didn't seem the type to volunteer for something as trivial as this.

I then cast my attention back on stage and examined the people remaining on stage. It was just the host, the animal tamer, and-

My eyes widened in realization and I fought the urge to slap a hand to my forehead. Of course, _of course_! _That _was why.

Anxiety rose inside me while watching Sebastian finally enter the stage and approach the two members. I just knew he was going to do something outrageous, especially with _that _around. The man beside me noticed me clutching my head and noticed the nervous look on my face.

He frowned at seeing my worry and was about to say something to me, only to stop when he noticed the butler kneeling down beside the grand tiger in the center.

"Ahh…such lovely, round eyes you have…" Sebastian complimented in pure bliss, not afraid to grasp the tiger's face in his hands.

Ciel gawked in utter shock and I allowed myself to slap my forehead this time. The stranger next to me couldn't believe his eyes. "What the…what the heck is he doing?!"

While Sebastian continued to speak sweet nothings towards the oblivious tiger, I prayed that the wild cat wouldn't act out rashly against him. Ciel continued to hide his face in shame towards his butler whereas the whole audience, including the two performers on stage, maintained their shocked expressions.

My predictions were proven to be correct when the tiger had decided to bite the butler's head, his face engulfed in the wild cat's mouth.

The audience shrieked in further astonishment and the woman onstage immediately took action.

"Betty! Let him go!" she cried and lashed her whip towards the feline.

Before the whip could make contact, however, Sebastian caught the black rope in his hand with his head still inside the tiger's mouth.

"She did not do anything wrong. In fact, I was the one being unintentionally rude towards this magnificent creature. Also…" Sebastian stood up after releasing himself and faced the woman, holding the whip up to his lips. "If you recklessly swing that whip around, you won't be able to train her properly."

The woman sneered at his blunt comment and before anyone could react, Betty bit the back of Sebastian's head once again.

More screams erupted but the demon seemed to take great pleasure towards the tiger's 'affections'.

"My, my, what a tomboy you are~"

"Oh dear lord, what is wrong with this man…" I mumbled to myself, rubbing my temples.

"My butler's a cat-obsessed moron," Ciel bluntly stated, still completely embarrassed.

I glanced at the young Earl before turning back to the butler, a smile cracking on my lips like it always did with him. Seeing Sebastian enjoying the cat's company, I couldn't agree more with Ciel's true statement.

* * *

"Have you gone mad?! Who said you could go that far?!" Ciel immediately scolded him once the show was over.

Sebastian was still in a state of euphoria. "My apologies, master, but no matter how long I have lived, cats simply fascinate me to no end."

Ciel let out a huge sneeze and briskly walked ahead of us. "Just stay a good distance away from me. You know I'm allergic to cats!"

I watched Ciel marching forward before approaching the demon butler in front of me. "Sebastian, are you all right?" I asked, reaching out and grabbing his arm.

The demon's lightened mood dropped immediately once I touched him and he turned to me with the same menacing glare from before. "What do you want?" he stated coldly, shrugging his arm away.

I narrowed my eyes at him, realizing he still held an attitude towards me. I clenched my hand and sighed. "Well, forgive me for wondering about your well-being. I just wanted to know if you were okay…"

The demon's hard glare stayed, until he repeated the words I had said in his head. The raging fire in him was soon smothered and his expression softened, snapping out of his anger. He realized the poisonous jealousy he had been feeling before was still plaguing his mind, but seeing that I clearly held no interest in anyone else but him, he felt elated once more.

Lifting my chin from my downward gaze at the ground, he gazed into my eyes with that usual playful spark. Seeing that, I gave him a warm smile.

"Is that true, Janelle? You were concerned about my safety?" he clarified with a smirk, letting his fingers caress the soft skin under my chin.

I rested my hand on his wrist, nodding and chuckling at his questions. "I'm always concerned about you Sebastian, even if you're practically bullet-proof."

His eyes flashed once in amusement and he tilted his head at me. "Oh my, that seemed like some sort of confession, my dear."

I froze, feeling the annoying heat in my cheeks again and moved back, but he grasped my hand before I could pull away completely. His fingers clutched mine so tightly to the point where I could feel a dull pain. Keeping my gaze on his chest at first, I slowly made eye contact with him. Deep blue met with bloody red, and in them, I couldn't read what he was thinking. There was nothing apparent, as if he was hiding something from me. Yet his grip on my hand said otherwise, as if he would never let me escape.

"Hey sir! The one in the tailcoat!" A familiar voice interrupted us and we both turned to see Joker pacing towards us.

"There you are! Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened to you on stage. You really took us by shock there, getting so close to the tiger and all!" Joker stated with an apologetic grin.

Sebastian raised his hand and smiled. "Oh no, please accept my apology. I was being reckless."

Joker chuckled and then caught my eye. A beam set on his face. "Hello there!" he said with a friendly wave, and up close like this, I could see that his hand was literally only bone. I returned his kind gesture with a small wave of my own.

The orange-haired juggler looked from me to the butler and gave a Cheshire cat grin. "_Say_, are you his girl?"

Sebastian's smirked widened at the stunned expression on my face and saw me attempting to think of something to say to that. "W-Well…I don-"

Taking the situation in his hands, Sebastian grabbed the side of my waist and pulled me in close to his side, allowing my face to press up against his chest. "Why indeed, good sir, she is."

Joker clasped his hands together and said something else, but I didn't listen to what he was saying. All I _could_ hear was a dull thumping in my ears, coming from the slow beating of the demon's heart. Sebastian's scent filled my nose and the incessant heat rising in my body was overwhelming. I just didn't get it-one minute he was avoiding me, and then the next minute he had me in his arms. I gave up.

"You sure you're okay? We've got a special doctor here and I was thinkin' he should check you out, just in case. Come 'round the back, and of course she can come along," Joker offered and gestured to me with a grin.

I looked up at Sebastian, who glanced behind him towards his master. Ciel had been hiding behind one of the stands outside and was watching us the whole time. He gave his butler a simple nod.

Knowing this was his opportune chance for further investigation, Sebastian accepted with his close-eyed smile. "All right then, if you say so."

"Excellent! Please follow me!" the host said cheerfully before leading the way.

I glanced behind once at Ciel before walking alongside Sebastian. Heading towards the unseen side of the circus, I could never predict that soon, things were going to take an eerie turn for the worst.


	27. Sky High

**Hmm, it was unintentional, but somehow, I feel like the last part of this chapter is symbolic in a way. How? Well, it's up to you, whether or not you see it that way. That's just my take.**

**Haven't done a shout out in a while, so thanks to _animelover56348, VampireSiren, _and_ Tsukino Aisuru-A _for the recent reviews! They're awesome like candy! :P Really appreciate the faves and follows too! Can't forget you guys!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

I walked with silent steps, trying to keep as quiet as possible and avoiding eye contact with those who looked upon us 'outsiders'. Their curious gazes were intense and almost intimidating, as if they were challenging us to some unknown game. It was dark. It was foreign. It was unnerving. Still, I tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Sorry, it's so dirty! Watch yer step!" the orange-haired man known as Joker warned us while he continued leading us through the maze of tents.

I stole a glance up at Sebastian, who was in front of me but still maintained close proximity. His crimson eyes darted to his side, examining his surroundings for anything suspicious or out of place, just as his master ordered. I noticed him looking to his right and followed his gaze to see a large, bald man with flame-like tattoos covering his body. I then smelled tobacco and looked forward to see 'The Princess' from the earlier performance resting on some crates, and the source of the smoke came from another circus performer sitting on the ground, a smug smile on her face as she took another drag from her skinny pipe. Some caged animals, including a lion and birds, came into our view shortly before Joker came to a stop.

"Hi Snake! Is Doc in the first aid tent?" he asked, waving his bony hand at the half-breed man before us.

I held back my grimace at seeing the slithering reptiles the man had with him feeding on live mice. Snake didn't answer him, but seeing that his fellow pals were busy devouring the rodents, Joker immediately got the message.

"Oops! Guess we should just go on then!" Joker hurriedly said with a wry laugh, realizing he shouldn't have disturbed Snake.

Moving along, two other familiar performers spoke up, directing their comments towards Sebastian.

"Hey, isn't that the guy who got bit by the tiger?" the girl asked beside her companion, both of them sitting on a large barrel.

"Ha-ha! It's really him! What an idiot…" the boy replied and snickered quietly along with her.

I couldn't help but chuckle at their comments and felt Sebastian's immediate glare at me. I shrugged my shoulders at him. "It _is _true…" I whispered with a small smile and the demon rolled his eyes, turning his attention back up front.

"Finally! There you are, Doc!" Joker exclaimed towards a curly-haired man in a wheelchair, who was currently occupied with another young performer.

The doctor turned around and approached the host. "Oh, Joker, is there something wrong with your arm again?"

Joker shook his head. "No, not this time, actually-"

"Whoa! Doc, that's the guy whose head was bitten by Betty! I was wonderin' who he was…" the young man he had been tending to spoke up before Joker could finish.

"Eh?! Betty did that?! How terrible! I must take a look at you straight away! Come with me!" the doctor shouted in panic before snatching Sebastian's hand and wheeling forward at high speed.

The doctor was moving so fast and seeing that the demon butler was quickly disappearing from view, I immediately went to catch up with them until I felt someone's slender hands pushing me along from behind. I nearly tripped over my feet from the sudden forcefulness and peered behind to see Joker's cheerful grin.

"Hurry up now, you _are_ worried about yer man, ain't ya?" Joker said with a hint of playfulness and the other fellow performer followed us to the medical office.

* * *

"The name's Dagger! Nice to meet ya!" the young fellow with round markings under his eyes and blond hair with a black streak in his bangs, introduced himself. He held his arm out to me and I stared at his waiting hand for what seemed like more than a few minutes before complying.

"Pleasure to meet you too," I replied politely.

His eyes widened once he met contact with my skin. "Ooh! Your hands are so cold! Oops! I mean, not that that's a bad thing!" he stated quickly, trying to cover up his earlier comment.

I shook my head with a laugh. "No, it's all right, no offense taken."

He wiped his forehead in a way of relief and then changed the subject. "So…is that crazy guy a friend o' yers?" he asked, jabbing his thumb towards Sebastian, who was sitting in a chair in front of the doctor during his inspection.

I nodded with a genuine smile. Dagger then leaned a little closer and said in a whisper, "Ya oughta put a leash on him. He could've gotten killed by Betty if he weren't so lucky!"

I chuckled at his suggestion. The thought of me with a chain connected to a collar around the demon butler's neck seemed oh so amusing, yet entirely ridiculous and impossible at the same time.

"Seems like a fun idea, but I highly doubt it would work. Besides, someone else already holds the 'leash' around his neck," I laughed lightly and then continued on. "And he doesn't exactly strike me as a 'dog'. He's more like a 'sly cat' who could easily escape."

"Not if he really likes his owner~" Joker's voice sang as he abruptly trailed past us before standing beside Dagger on the other side, sending me a teasing smile.

Dagger stared curiously at Joker's amused expression and I was glad I didn't have to respond to that when we heard the doctor finally speak up.

"Were you really bitten by that tiger? I can't find any marks on you whatsoever," the doctor replied with slight uneasiness.

I began approaching Sebastian, who was grinning at the medical man like nothing had happened. "It was not anything serious. It was merely a play bite."

While Dagger and Joker exchanged confused looks, the doctor caught sight of me and gave a warm grin. "Ah, you must have been worried sick! It seems that he's perfectly fine, as far as I can tell. Fit as a fiddle!" he reassured me.

I let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh thank you, doctor. I was truly scared he was going to keel over and bleed to death. I don't know what I would do if that had happened…" I stated as if I was truly worried, when in actuality, it was all sarcasm.

The doctor obviously thought I was being genuine, but the demon butler knew better as he looked at me with a playful glint in his eyes.

"It's rather nice to know that you care so much about me, my dear," Sebastian stated with equal sarcasm before clasping a hand onto my wrist and clenching me extra tightly to the point where I began wincing from the sharp pain of his iron grip.

Joker appeared beside Sebastian's left side just then and let out a sigh of utter relief. "Oh boy, I'm so glad yer okay. If I had let an audience member get badly injured, the ring leader would have my head!"

Sebastian and I narrowed our eyes at his curious words. "You're not the ring leader?" Sebastian asked the same question I was thinking of.

"Nope! I'd say I'm more like the manager! The ring leader is a lot scarier!" Joker replied with a grin.

Dagger chuckled at his comment and nudged his pal in the ribs. "Ya know, you better be careful with what ya say. If _he_ were really here…"

The flap of the tent suddenly opened and in entered the animal tamer, who looked to be in slight pain. "Excuse me doctor, I was wondering if you could take a look at my leg…"

Dagger's eyes seemed to light up in an instant at the sight of her. "Big sis!"

The woman didn't seem to hear him, her eyes narrowing into an intense glare and her lips curling into a snarl. Following her menacing look, I saw that she was staring at Sebastian. She marched over to us immediately, ignoring Dagger's very 'Viscount-esque' declaration of love.

"You! You're the mad man from before! Why the hell are you here?!" she barked angrily, jabbing her finger at Sebastian.

Staying close beside the butler, I glared at her rude outburst. So far, I couldn't help but harbor ill feelings when it came to this woman. I didn't know why, and I knew it was a terrible thing to judge someone before you even knew the person. I couldn't put my finger on it, but all I did know was that she and I would probably never get along.

She continued on with her yelling until the doctor cut her off shortly with a stern look on his face.

"Beast!" he began to scold. "That is no way to act in front our guests! And I do believe that you could have handled the situation with Betty better than you did."

She snarled and continued pointing her finger at Sebastian's indifferent face. "It wasn't my fault! He just came up and-"

"No excuses! You're a professional, aren't you? You know better to deal with Betty than anyone else!"

Joker and Dagger approached the peeved doctor just then. "Oi Doc, don't ya think that yer yellin' is something you shouldn't do in front of our guests as well?" Joker pointed out cheerfully.

"Yeah! Instead, you should take a look at big sis's leg!" Dagger suggested with worry.

The doctor looked at the two of them before exhaling deeply and agreeing, compromising with Beast as long as she kept up her bargain of disciplining the tiger.

"Right then, let's take a look at the prosthetic…"

Sebastian's eyes lit up again in interest. "Prosthetic?" he questioned while standing up from his chair.

"Yup! You see, with this circus, folks facing some sort of problem gather together here," Joker explained and then held up his bony right hand. "I was missin' an arm, but thanks to the Doc, I was able to have this. Cool, eh?"

"May I have a closer look?" I piped in with curiosity, wondering about his hand the entire time.

"Sure! Be gentle though, the Doc is already mad that I'm reckless with this hand," Joker replied and I heeded his warning, carefully touching the exposed phalanges and growing in awe at how surprisingly smooth it was, like perfect porcelain.

Sebastian approached the doctor and Beast. "So you're the one making these prosthetics?"

"Indeed," the doctor replied while inspecting Beast's leg. "I do all the carving by hand. It's a rather difficult job, needless to say…"

"Carving? You mean, by wood?" the butler continued to question.

"No, more like ceramic. Well…not exactly that either. The limbs are made of special materials that make them light but durable."

"Ahh…I see, it feels quite nice…"

I looked up from examining Joker's hand and towards where Sebastian was, my eyes narrowing at what the butler was up to.

"It does feel nice, huh? I use ball-jointed doll parts so the joints could move more smoothly," the doctor added.

"Hmm, oh…what's this?"

My jaw dropped at the astonishing display. Sebastian was lifting Beast's leg up in a rather suggestive angle, having spotted something interesting on her inner thigh. Although he wasn't paying much attention to anything else, the position Beast was in was highly uncomfortable, and from where I stood, Sebastian's head was covering her lower regions from view. Even though it didn't seem like something to overreact over, a burst of anger rose inside of me. No, wait, it wasn't anger exactly…jealousy? Strange, I _shouldn't_ be feeling this way.

I dropped Joker's hand and crossed my arms in a huffy manner, whereas Joker and Dagger looked shocked, the latter suffering from a major nosebleed. The animal tamer finally snapped after having endured enough of the butler's 'advances'.

"Get your hands off me, you pervert!" Beast roared with a flustered face, kicking towards the butler.

Sebastian merely leaned his head back and moved away, realizing his actions. "Oh dear, that was rather rude of me. Then again, I didn't expect someone like _you _to act all modest…"

That only got her more revved up and she unleashed her whip. "Shut up, you bastard!" she shouted and Sebastian dodged her whip with a nonchalant grin.

"Beast! Don't do this!" The doctor tried to reason with her, but seeing that she was in a rage, he turned towards Joker and Dagger. "You two! Don't just stand there! Help me out!"

Joker and I looked over at Dagger, who from the looks of his clenched fists, was trembling in rising anger. Uh oh…

"How dare you! Touching my big sis's beautiful skin before _me_?! I'll make you _pay_!" Dagger spat out with angry tears glistening in his eyes before he took out his knives and threw them directly at Sebastian.

My eyes widened in alarm at his dangerous approach and I stepped away from Joker, watching the butler avoiding the knives with an agile flip in the air.

"You are mistaken. I wasn't actually touching her skin…but it seems I might as well have," the demon teased with his malevolent smirk.

Sebastian had landed on the clothesline of the tent, and even though I kind of _wanted _Dagger to show him a thing or two, my urge to protect him was stronger.

"Dagger, please stop. There's no need to act out so rashly!" I tried to calm him down, reaching out to grab his arm.

The young performer wouldn't listen and instead, he lashed out and swung a dagger in my direction without even looking. I gasped and was quickly able to dodge his lethal swing, some strands of my hair getting cut off in the air. My eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at how stubborn he was being.

"There's no way I'll allow you to taint sis's purity!" Dagger snapped again and threw even more knives at the demon above.

No doubt, the butler was able to catch all the knives thrown at him between his fingers with ease, moving gracefully on the clothesline while he was at it. I placed my hands on my hips with an exasperated sigh, not liking the demon's smug attitude at the moment.

"No way!" Dagger exclaimed in astonishment, whereas Joker whistled in awe at the demon butler's adept skills.

Beast rushed past me and readied her whip, her teeth gritting in fury. "Don't get carried away!" she shouted and snapped her whip high in the air.

Yet before the whip could attempt to harm Sebastian, Joker intervened in a flash, taking all of us by surprise. Beast looked up uneasily at Joker's sudden serious expression. But as soon as he stopped her, his grin returned in a split second and the wand he had used to halt her whip transformed into a bouquet of flowers.

"Here ya go!" he stated joyfully and Beast's face turned to one of surprise. "I think that's enough tussling, don't ya think?"

"Why didn't you just stop them sooner?!" the doctor snapped, wheeling his way towards us.

Dagger growled in frustration. "Joker! Ya shouldn't have done that! Lemme at him!"

"Now, now, just calm down." Joker then approached Beast from behind, holding the flowers out to her while gently stroking her prosthetic leg. "I could understand why anyone would want to touch this pretty leg of yours. There's no need to be so angry, so cheer up with these flowers!"

Beast huffed in annoyance, but a hint of blush rose to her cheeks at his kind gesture.

Sebastian landed to the ground and handed the knives back to a pouting Dagger. Joker drew closer to the butler with amazement clear on his face.

"I'm impressed! You've got some great reflexes. Ya know, I think you'd be an excellent addition to our circus," Joker spoke while the butler still has his back to him.

At hearing those words, however, Sebastian immediately turned around, his face looming over Joker's in an almost creepy way. "You really mean that?" he asked of the host.

"Er…yeah!" Joker replied, a little unnerved by the butler's quick reaction.

"I see…but currently, I'm serving a young lord, who I might add, is rather spoiled and shocking at times…" Sebastian replied with a sigh.

"Eh? You're a servant at a manor?" Joker asked in astonishment.

"She and I both sir," Sebastian stated, gesturing towards me as I approached the demon's side again.

"Interesting…so does that mean you're as skilled as he is too, miss?" Joker asked of me.

I glanced at Sebastian for a moment, who simply nodded to me in response. I twirled the ends of my hair, thinking over what to say before speaking up. "Well…if I put my mind to it, I can succeed, but I'm nowhere near _his_ potential. The circus seems fun though. It'd be quite an exciting experience," I said with a small smile.

"It certainly is. Perhaps you should try out too!" Joker nodded at my words before Sebastian cut in.

"So before, sir, when you were thinking of scouting me…"

"Yeah! Definitely, I really think you should consider joining us!" Joker decided with enthusiasm.

Beast's jaw dropped, highly appalled, and she turned on Joker. "Now hold on a minute, why are you accepting him so quickly?!"

"C'mon, Beast, ya gotta admit he's got some raw talent!"

"Excuse me, but if you don't mind, I have one more request," Sebastian started and earned back Joker's attention. "There is actually someone else I'd like to introduce you to."

Joker nodded again. "Sure, all right. We've an entrance test so she and that other person are more than welcome to take it."

The butler bowed his head in gratitude. "I understand, and I shall bring that other person tomorrow then. Thank you for your hospitality."

Sebastian began walking towards the entrance of the tent, having expected that I would be following him. Yet as soon as he exited the shelter, I turned to Joker, who blinked at me as if he was wondering why I was still standing there.

Seeing that the doctor was busy trying to calm down the still fuming Beast and Dagger, I used this moment to speak with Joker as quickly as possible. "I don't mean to bother you but…you mentioned an entrance test right?"

He grinned. "I sure did. You nervous about it?" he teased, with his cat-like expression.

I chuckled at his words. "Yeah, a little…but I was wondering…have you ever encountered a girl named Eva, by any chance?"

"Eva? Hmm, I don't recall... You see, we typically don't refer to each other by our real names in this circus so, sorry, I wouldn't remember. But if you describe what she looks like, maybe it'll ring a bell," he said in thought, tapping a bony finger to his chin.

I cleared my throat, ready to give him the full details. "Well, she-"

"What are you still doing here? Come along, we mustn't keep the Young Master waiting," the voice of Sebastian suddenly interrupted us and in the next second, the butler pulled my long tresses with a yank that forced me to tumble backwards to avoid the stinging pain.

"Wait, hang on a minute, I've got to speak with Joker!" I protested, but the demon merely yanked my hair again and earned another frustrated growl from me.

"Ooh, someone's rather eager! Don't worry; I wasn't trying to hit on yer girl or anything! Don't be too hard on her!" Joker teased us, giving a playful wave and a Cheshire cat grin.

I couldn't respond or say anything else, for the flaps of the tents closed on me and I was met once again with the darkness of the night. It was only then that Sebastian released me. I fixed my hair back in place, massaging my scalp and feeling the rising anger.

"What was that for, Sebastian? Couldn't you have spared me a few more minutes? I was nearly on to something!" I snapped, glaring up at the demon, only to see that he wasn't listening to me at all. His gaze was serious and intent towards the distance and before I could do anything, he grabbed hold of my hand and led me forward.

The anger died down a bit when I saw he seemed to be deep in thought and I chose to remain quiet for the rest of the time, knowing he was probably trying to use this moment to do some more inspection.

_Strange, there is still no sign of the children anywhere… Yet there's this feeling I've sensed since before, could it be…? _He thought to himself, and clenching his hand, he nearly forgot he had unconsciously taken hold of me.

Stopping in his tracks and turning around, he saw that my eyebrows were furrowed and my lips were turned down in a deep frown. He blinked once at my expression and set his usual smirk. "What's with the face, my dear? Angry at that boy for nearly running me through with his knives?" he joked, allowing his gloved hand to stroke my cool cheek.

My frown only deepened, his mention of Dagger reminding me of how he touched Beast, even though it had meant nothing. Yet it just fueled my anger, and I shrugged away from his touch. "_No_. Did you hear anything that I had said earlier?"

He narrowed his eyes again, but it wasn't at me. His attention was diverted once more. "Do you sense something strange, Janelle?" he asked abruptly, his voice quiet for only me to hear.

I looked around, scanning the area before returning my gaze to him. "I don't think so, what is it, Sebastian?"

"Try again, dear. I'm sure you can sense exactly what I'm sensing…Perhaps if we get closer…" he said, tightening his grip on my hand and leading us closer to a far off area among the tents.

"Anything?"

I tried harder this time and focused on my surroundings. Sure enough, I felt something ominous and cold…and I didn't like it one bit.

"Yes…I think I can sense it now. What do you think-"

Sebastian suddenly pulled me close against his chest, his body growing stiff and tense. I grew alarmed at his action, but made no move or noise as his arm tightened around my waist. In the next moment, I heard what sounded like a low hissing, but couldn't see what it was due to my face being pressed against the demon's body.

"Entrance past this point is forbidden, says Wild," a smooth tone declared in the dark.

I looked up to see a stern look on Sebastian's face as his crimson eyes peered to his side.

"The exit is over there, says Goethe," the voice continued to speak in that strange way.

Sebastian then let go of me and turned the both of us around. I finally got to see who it was and saw that the voice had belonged to Snake, with his reptile friends wrapped around his neck as he pointed to where we should be going.

"Thank you for your assistance," Sebastian simply replied with a polite smile before bringing me close again and walking us in the correct direction.

Briskly returning back to the Young Master, my thoughts swarmed in my head, but I chose to keep silent until we finally got out of there. So, the area we were about to cross was forbidden? Obviously, things were getting eerie around here, and from what Sebastian and I were sensing, it wasn't pretty.

* * *

"What?! How did it end up with me getting signed up for the circus?!" Ciel barked in anger, already reprimanding his butler.

"You were signed up for the _entrance test_, my lord, not the circus just yet," Sebastian corrected him with a stern expression.

The young Earl continued grumbling while the three of us shuffled into his townhouse in downtown London. Upon entering the building, we were inevitably bombarded by Prince Soma and his butler, who had seemed to have been waiting right at the door for Ciel's return.

"Ciel! It's about time you got home! Are you finally done for the day?" Soma greeted him with much enthusiasm, Agni close behind. "You should teach me how to play chess today!"

"This is ridiculous! I don't remember ever ordering you to do this!" Ciel snapped, ignoring the two Indians completely.

"Honestly, is it that much of a problem, my lord?" Sebastian asked as the two began heading to the Earl's room.

"Ciel?! Aren't you listening to me? You should at least say hello!" the Prince demanded, trying to get the Earl's attention.

Ciel growled and turned around with his frightening glare. "Be quiet! I'm busy at the moment, so shut up!" he shouted at Soma before stomping off to his room.

There was a loud slam soon after, leaving the Prince, Agni, and me standing there in a long awkward silence. After a while, it was Agni who interrupted the quiet as he cleared his throat.

"Did things not go as Lord Ciel had wanted, Miss Janelle?" the Indian butler asked me with a concerned look.

I shrugged my shoulders with a smile. "Well, I thought things went better actually, but I guess the Young Master doesn't like the idea of actually working…"

It was then that Soma got over being rejected by Ciel and turned around to see the two of us, scrunching his nose in disgust at the sight of me. "Ew! It's you again! Why are you here?"

Instead of being offended, I just scoffed and a sly smile crossed my lips. "I see your manners still need some work, dear prince. Is that really a way to greet a poor, innocent woman like me?" I batted my eyelashes like a prissy rich girl.

Soma snorted in response and crossed my arms. "Like you're at all innocent, you're a witch!"

"Aw, thank you Prince Soma, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" I stated sarcastically and came over to him, patting his back with extra force and causing him to tumble forward.

Agni went between us before Soma could try to do anything else, putting his hands up and taking the role of peacemaker. "Please you two, don't fight. We're all good friends here and it should remain as such."

"She hit me Agni! A _woman_ hit me! I have the right to hit her back!" Soma retorted, pushing his butler aside.

The Indian butler merely let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Isn't there anything else you two can agree on without trying to get back at each other?" Agni asked with a pleading smile.

Soma merely jutted out his lower lip, tapping his foot and expecting me to make the first move. I sighed and took up his silent offer, mustering up a smile.

"So, how are you two holding up here? Is everything going okay?" I asked Agni.

He nodded with a pleasant expression. "Yes, we're doing quite well, though the Prince is often wondering about Lord Ciel and his journeys."

"It's not my fault! The boy never bothers to spend time with me!" Soma continued to pout, puffing out his cheeks.

I approached Soma again, who instinctively took steps away from me, his gold eyes glaring daggers through my skull. I sighed and grabbed his shoulders, preventing him from moving any further.

"Are you still lonely, Prince Soma? After…what happened at the curry festival?" I said, my voice growing soft.

The Prince blinked a few times and I could see his glare transform into a look of distant melancholy. But Instead of getting down, he shrugged like he didn't care and put on an exuberant smile. "I admit to being lonely at times, but it's not because of her anymore. I have Agni with me and I'm quite content. I feel stronger than I ever had before!" He ended the last sentence with a fist pump in the air.

Agni seemed to be brimming with joy at what his prince had just said, tears welling up in his eyes. I grinned at his statement as well and placed a hand on his shoulder, petting him lightly this time. "Do you need someone to teach you how to play chess? I'll be happy to fill in that role for you."

Soma's eyes lit up, shining like the sun and he took hold of the sides of my arms with a surprising amount of strength. "Really? _You_ of all people would be willing to teach me?" he repeated, shaking me slightly.

I laughed and nodded with a genuine smile. "Of course, just for a little while though…"

"Then what are we waiting for?! To the living room!" Soma declared, dragging me along with him.

I sighed heavily at his hyper energy and the Prince glanced at me with his eyebrow raised. A smug smile then crossed his face at his next thought. "You know, you're not as weird as I thought. In fact, I think you're kind of pretty when you're nicer…"

"I see, so you think I'm an ugly monster ninety-nine percent of the time?" I asked with an equally smug expression.

Soma snickered. "Yup, pretty much!"

"You're just begging me to hit you again, aren't you?"

"Not if Agni-AGH!"

The Prince bent over for a second after I walloped him over the head like he was an insolent child.

"Too slow," I teased him and walked on ahead.

* * *

Teaching the Prince how to play chess took longer than I thought. Honestly, the royal had the attention span of a fly, basically none. My respect for Agni rose even higher for putting up with the mostly irritating boy, but at least he had a good heart.

Now that the late hours of the night were rolling in and the humans were asleep once again, it was time to fulfill what I had in mind.

Rummaging nearly the whole townhouse, I finally was able to get some suitable gear in hand. With the items I needed, I stayed as stealthy as I could in reaching the front of the townhouse, knowing full well I was going to be spotted anyway despite my efforts.

Once my hand clasped around the cold door knob, a familiar chill rushed past me and the hallway grew darker than it already had been. This time, I was prepared though, and I whipped around in an instant, catching hold of the familiar gloved hand before it could touch me.

"My, my, you're getting better at sensing my presence, Janelle. Still though, I'm sure I'll be able to outwit you in no time," Sebastian's suave voice entered my ears from behind, his wrist still in my grasp.

I exhaled, knowing it would be hard to shake him off. "Sebastian, I-"

"Are you off to commit murder, my dear? Do tell me who you intend to kill, I would find great amusement in watching you," the demon teased, catching sight of what I had with me. A long piece of rope was slung over my left shoulder and a few kitchen knives were held in my left hand.

I let go of his wrist and adjusted the rope from sliding down my arm. Looking down at what I had, a chuckle escaped me, and I replied in a playful tone, "No, Sebastian, you've got it all wrong. I'm off to kidnap some little children so I can torment them in a dungeon forever. Now if you'll excuse me…"

A soft laugh escaped the butler once I turned around and I stopped in my tracks, wondering what he found so funny.

"Oh dear, don't tell me you're trying to get some practice in for the entrance test tomorrow. Are you that doubtful of your abilities?" The butler tried to stifle his laughter, his crimson eyes shining in the dark.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks from the embarrassment of being found out. "So what if I don't feel confident?" I hissed in a whisper. "I have_ zero _experience and I figured I should start somewhere. At least get an idea of how it feels. I'm positive you'll be helping the Young Master pass, but me? I've got to _at least_ make it past the test…"

Sebastian merely chuckled some more and proceeded in snatching the materials out of my grasp. Before I could protest in anger he opened the door, allowing the moonlight to shine on us. Seeing his perfect, pale face illuminated, I could see the humor written on his features.

"I find myself growing quite fond of your silliness and weaknesses, Janelle. You never cease to amuse me," he admitted, his close-eyed smile clear in my vision.

My hand clasped over the left side of my chest, feeling the heat getting worse in my face. Please don't let him see that I was blushing like mad…

I then watched the butler walking backwards down the steps, the ends of his tailcoat and his raven black bangs fluttering in the night breeze.

"Keep up with me, my dear. I'll take you somewhere special so that you may practice," I heard him say before he suddenly disappeared in a flash, his black figure already several miles ahead of me.

I gawked at his speed and quickly shut the door of the townhouse before concentrating on gathering my strength and using my own speed to catch up to him.

* * *

"You know, you could have at least given me some ten second warning before running off at high speed like that! I almost got lost five times!" I told him once I had spotted him standing and waiting for me with his usual smirk.

"How unfortunate; I was running in different directions on purpose. It was rather fun, no?" Sebastian replied and I huffed in annoyance.

Finally taking a look at where we were, I noticed we were in some sort of abandoned area on the outskirts of town. In front of us, there were two fairly tall, adjacent houses that looked old…and haunted. Considering it was Sebastian's choice, I wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Are you trying to scare me? Because if you are, I'm happy to say that you have finally failed. Oh, look, crows…" I trailed off, pointing at the stray black birds flying up into the moonlight.

The butler chuckled at my response and merely patted the top of my head. "Don't be so quick to say that I failed, Janelle. Once you get to the top, you'll see exactly how _scary _this place can be."

I froze and met his gaze. "What? We're going to be on the roof of these houses? What if the roof collapses? They don't exactly look stable!"

His smirk grew wider. "That is what makes it more interesting. You _do_ want to practice tight rope walking, am I correct?"

Not waiting for my answer, he took hold of my arm and led me through the rusty gates, taking me bridal-style in his arms and jumping up to the roof of the left house first.

Once we were on top, I noticed some more crows flying away, as well as the unnerving creak of the rooftop as our feet settled onto the slate shingles.

As soon as he let go of me, I fought the urge to cling back onto him, worried that the roof was going to break with one more step.

"Sebastian, I don't know if I should like you for helping me practice, or hate you for taking me to such a dangerous place…" I said, hugging my arms.

"I know you'll be thanking me soon enough, whether or not you like me in the end," Sebastian replied while he was busy fastening the rope to one side of the roof before leaping to the other rooftop and doing the same on the other side.

Once he was finished he stopped me from trying out the tight rope. "Wait a moment; allow me to test it out first."

I waited for him as he took one steady step on the rope, tapping it twice with his foot before confidently stepping forward and walking right to the middle of the rope as if he were walking on normal ground. He didn't even have to use his arms to balance himself like practically everyone else did.

Walking back and forth a few times in the middle, even hopping a few times, the demon butler looked up from his testing when he heard me scoffing and saw that my mouth was dropping open in disbelief again, my hand grasping the side of my head.

"What the-how? You're too perfect for your own good. I was hoping you would fall flat on your face…" I teased, smiling at my whack imagination.

Without warning, the demon merely sent me a smirk before complying with my request, taking one step back and descending down into the darkness below. A loud gasp escaped me and I immediately leaned over the edge, trying to see where he had supposedly landed.

"Sebastian? Sebastian! I was just joking, you know! Please come back!" I cried, needlessly getting worried about him.

Out of nowhere, a hand clasped over my mouth and pulled me back; silencing the shriek that nearly came forth.

"Ah, I quite enjoy your _begging_ me to return. I'd like to hear that more often whenever I have my way with you again…" the demon whispered into my ear, allowing his soft lips to graze against my skin.

My annoyed growl was muffled and he let go of me once he had us standing up straight. I turned to him fully and opened my mouth to say something, but realized that all I had wanted to say would prove to be useless and end up being thrown back at me with one of his clever comebacks. I was getting really tired of that…

I merely cleared my throat, seeing that his amused smirk was not going to die down any time soon. "I'm going to practice now."

He nodded as I began approaching the tight rope. "Be careful. Don't make any foolish mistakes," he warned me, watching my every move.

Keeping his words in mind, I took a deep breath before taking my first baby step on the firmly bound rope. My arms rose on either side of me, maintaining balance as I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

"My, you're like an infant attempting to walk for the first time. I'm rather tempted to push you…" I heard the butler comment with clear humor, chuckling lowly behind my back.

My eyebrow twitched at his snide remark but I continued forward, keeping my mind clear of distractions. A few seconds later, my feet met a cold, hard surface and I looked down to find that I had made it to the other rooftop. A smile instantly burst on my face and I turned around, waving my hand at the demon butler on the other side.

"I did it, Sebastian! I really did it!" I shouted to him in excitement.

Sebastian had his arms crossed and he merely gestured me to come back. "That was simply beginner's luck, Janelle. Try again."

I nodded and walked onto the rope, feeling a burst of confidence coursing through my body. A few more minutes later, I was able to return to Sebastian's side.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this…" I said to him, not feeling as nervous.

The butler didn't crack a smile, however, his face remaining stern. "I think not. I can see your footing is still not as strong as it could be. Go again."

I frowned at him a bit before obeying and getting back on the rope. I tried to improve my footing like he said, but couldn't exactly figure out what I was doing wrong. Once I made it to the middle, I attempted to talk to him.

"Sebastian, I don't see what the problem is. What am I-ah!"

Before I had known what happened, I found my body descending downwards fast, but to me, it was like slow motion. I didn't even get the chance to scream if I wanted to, for I was too shocked to find that I was falling...

I quickly snapped out of my daze, knowing that I was going to meet the ground any second. I twisted my body, attempting to brace myself for a decent landing. Just as I was ready to make impact, I felt a large mass of dark energy suddenly overwhelm me and my body was pulled back into the unknown. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to be over until I felt familiar warmth against my body. Soon enough, I found my hand gripping onto fabric and I cautiously opened my eyes again.

"I told you not to act carelessly, Janelle. This is what happens when you are being over confident."

Sebastian's voice sounded angry as soon as I registered his presence, and I raised my head from his chest to see his face. Wisps of what looked like black smoke briefly remained around our bodies and his irises were that blazing magenta, his pupils turned to slits.

His eyebrows were knotted in both annoyance and concern and his arms were still wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping my feet above the ground as he held me.

His flaming irises were still intact and gazing intently into my shell-shocked blue ones, like he was trying to intimidate me into submission. Yet the next thing I knew, an unexplained grin broke across my frozen face and my body began to shake with erupting chuckles. Sebastian continued staring at me in slight confusion as I burst out in hysterical laughter, my voice scaring the crows away once again.

Once I stopped myself in the next moment, the demon furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why I had acted so bizarre.

"What was that about?" he asked me, coaxing me to look at him.

When I finally did, he saw that there were tears in my eyes, but they weren't caused by sadness. I raised a hand to my right eye, brushing a tear away as I calmed myself down.

"I…I never imagined that falling could be that scary, especially when you least expect it," I answered him in a half-laughing, half-shaky tone.

His irises began dimming to its usual red again, his eyebrow rising at my words. "You were scared?"

"Yeah…but a good kind of scared. It was actually exciting to me. You were right, Sebastian…you're always right…" I said in a barely audible tone, my gaze wandering elsewhere.

For some reason, he couldn't help but sense there was something wrong. He didn't mean about my behavior, it was something deeper—hidden.

Even though he had me close in his arms, there was this obscure hint of distance between us, stopping us from getting any closer. Even when he thought he had my heart in his clutches, I was strangely just out of reach. Once more, it was difficult to understand what was going on with me.

"I don't think you should catch me, Sebastian. I think I'll be falling a few more times before I truly get the tight rope walking down," I said to him with that distant look in my eyes, both my hands resting on his chest.

He didn't say a word to me, and the silence was beginning to bother me again, suffocating me. Soon though, I felt his gloved fingers grazing under my chin and my unconscious smile faded away, ridding all emotion from my face. After what seemed like a long while, his nose grazed against my scalp, his breath hitting against my skin before something warmer met me. His lips pressed firmly onto the top of my forehead, igniting sparks and flames inside my body. I closed my eyes and somehow, I was trembling.

"You are absolutely right, Janelle," A small smile appeared on his face. "I'm not going to waste my energy catching you. The falling will motivate you to do better than before after all," he replied quietly. He then adjusted his grasp, getting ready to take us back. "Hold onto me."

I simply nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck as he kept me secure in his arms and began ascending to the top again.

Once we were there, he released me and I was back on the rope again, tottering on what almost seemed like a thin thread that barely kept me stable.

He watched me succeed a few times, and fall at other random intervals. But he could see the improvements I was making and the strength that began showing in my leg work.

Each time I fell, I always came back up and went straight back to practicing. Each time, he saw the scuff marks forming on my dress and the ugly bruises that faded in mere seconds.

Again and again, I seemed to walk on air, until I returned to his side after I seemed to have made decent enough progress to stop.

"What did you think, Sebastian? Better this time?" I asked just before I approached his side.

My footing lost balance again and I attempted to use my other foot to steady myself. But the butler caught me as I collided into his arms, a gust of wind blowing past us at that moment.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, clutching onto his arms.

I didn't get the chance to see his face though, because he didn't let me go. Instead, he grabbed me against his body and held me so tight; I thought my spine would break. My eyes watered from his painful embrace, but I didn't protest. My hands only continued clutching onto him, my nails digging into his arm.

The demon didn't know what came over him. But for some reason, he just didn't want to let me go. He wouldn't let go.

Because maybe, just maybe, he could break the cursed distance that kept me out of his reach. He would make sure it would disappear and never come back.


	28. His Touch

**Say what, I was actually able to update earlier than I had expected?! YES! Hip, hip, hooray! **

**As always, big thanks to the favers, followers and the reviews from VampireSiren, animelover56348, Safire Lupe, Tsukino Aisuru-A, shinogirl93, cieliaphantomhive, xxyangxx2006, and pammazola. I was pleasantly surprised by how many I got last time; you guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

-Janelle-

Time seemed to move at a snail's pace again, just like when I was falling in the air during my efforts several hours beforehand.

The projectile was flying towards the target, but I wasn't so sure it was going to make it.

Strands of hair fell over my right eye, my gaze intent on the object and my body frozen in place. Everyone was watching and it just increased my anxiety. I wanted it to end already. I would have never tried out for something like this, since I hated being in the center of attention. But for her, I had to. I just had to.

Then, just as those thoughts passed, the familiar sound of a sharp thud reached my ears and time returned to its normal course.

A sense of relief flooded through me at that moment. The dagger had made it, not right at the bull's eye like the one before, but at least it was close enough. Seeing that I was now out of knives and the body-shaped target was riddled with them in various places, I turned to the two circus members for their reaction.

Dagger merely crossed his arms with an indifferent face whereas Joker clapped his hands lightly with his usual cat-like grin.

"I think that does it for this part of the test. Too bad you were only able to get that bull's eye twice, but all in all, not bad!" Joker complimented, nodding his head to me in approval.

I exhaled, placing a hand over my chest while some other folks watching us gave a light applause. I then nodded my head in thanks and moved aside for the young Earl, currently borrowing Finnian's name, to step forward and take my place several feet away from the wooden target.

While a fellow circus member went to remove the knives from the target, Dagger grinned lightly to Joker. "Aw, don't ya think we should go a little easier on the boy? He's awful frail, and I ain't sure his skinny arms are gonna be able to help him!" he said, nudging the host with his elbow.

"We gotta be fair, Dagger. No leniency 'cause _everyone_ has to go through the same thing," Joker replied matter-of-factly. "Let's see what ya got, Finnian!"

Noticing Sebastian in my peripheral vision, it was obvious the demon butler had something clever up his sleeve to help his master pass with flying colors. A small smile crept on my lips as I anticipated what he would do this time.

Ciel concentrated intently on the target, dagger in hand, before he took aim and threw the knife as best as he could. To me, I thought his throw was relatively strong, but seeing the knife beginning to descend just as it was about to reach the target, Joker and Dagger's faces began to drop into expressions that read they expected this outcome.

Yet, just as quickly as it began to fall, the knife suddenly shot right back up in a near 90 degree angle and hit the target's head straight on.

Immediately, everyone, including the two circus member's expressions changed to immense shock at the unexpected result. A soft chuckle escaped me at their stunned reactions whereas a sly smirk appeared on Ciel's face.

As Ciel's dagger throwing continued, I didn't have to spare a glance to know that the butler was the one indiscreetly guiding the knives towards the right direction by using tiny pebbles to strike the hilts with greater power. No human would be able to catch that, so therefore, no one would ever know the truth behind the Earl's supposed 'skill'. I fought the urge not to laugh every time I caught sight of the minuscule rocks zipping into a split second view.

By the end, Ciel had managed to get all the knives to hit the target's head, none of them scattered elsewhere on its body like how I had done. Of course, Joker approved of his efforts right away and Dagger was flabbergasted at the Earl's rather 'bizarre' technique.

"Good job so far! Let's move on!" Joker exclaimed and led the two of us to the next obstacle.

As soon as I saw what it was, confidence burst inside me. I was_ so _completely ready for this. If I wasn't able to pass this part, someone just _had _to kill me, or I'd be more than willing to jump right off the platform and end my shame.

"Tight rope walking! Who wants to go first~?" Joker sang, peering at us with a playful glint in his eye.

I turned to my side to see Ciel gazing up at the height of the far off platform with slight apprehension. I gave a comforting smile and stepped aside. "Young Master, would you like to go first this time?" I whispered, gesturing my arm for him.

Ciel's eye narrowed at me in a light glare, taking my gesture as a 'Sebastian-like' tease rather than an offer to let him get it over with.

"_No. You_ go," he said firmly, crossed his arms and making no other move.

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders before making my way up the ladder and onto the platform.

"Make sure that rope's real tight, Doll! We wouldn't want anyone gettin' seriously injured!" Joker shouted to the expert kneeling behind me.

Stealing a look downwards to see exactly how high I was, Joker and Dagger were rather small in view, but they weren't too far to the point where no one could hear their voices up here. A figure in black then joined beside the two circus members and a smile returned on my face at seeing the familiar butler staring up at me. His master was also by his side, though he didn't look the least bit amused. In fact, his serious expression seemed to read that he was dreading his turn after me.

With his close-eyed grin, Sebastian gave a small wave before revealing his crimson eyes, those blood red orbs showing a hint of reassuring behind their usual smugness.

"Whenever you're ready, sweetie, go for it!" Joker hollered up at me with his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Okay…" I whispered to myself to stay calm. I then raised my arms and took my first step on the rope.

Flashbacks of my nightly practice rushed through my head and kept me distracted from more nerve-wracking thoughts. One foot before the other, the pattern continued down the thin line I was walking on. Feeling myself waver at times, I would immediately fix myself, remembering Sebastian's tips in my head before continuing on with as much finesse as I could muster.

Before I knew it, a loud whistling, followed by enthusiastic clapping, resonated from below and my eyes opened after having unconsciously closed them. I looked down and noticed that my feet were now firmly planted on the opposite platform.

"Whoa! I'm impressed; you were near perfect! Ya didn't cheat did ya?" Joker teased with a huge grin.

I gave a nervous laugh and moved stray hair strands out of my face. "Well…as they say, practice makes perfect?" I replied with uncertainty.

Sebastian smirked as Joker's mouth formed an 'o' at my answer. The host wagged his bony finger at me knowingly and laughed again. "Ooh, so _somebody_ came well prepared didn't they? Well, I never said a person couldn't practice before the test, so I guess that ain't cheatin'." The orange-haired young man tapped his chin in thought.

I climbed back down the ladder on the other side and walked over to the group, Ciel passing me by without a glance. I could tell he was trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

"Good luck," I told him but he ignored me, moving at a fast pace in his endeavor to be done with this.

"All righty, youngster! Ya got this!" Joker cheered him on.

Ciel sighed heavily and shouted back at him. "Are you_ sure_ there's nothing else I could do besides _this_?!"

Joker chuckled. "Aw~ Is someone retirin' already?"

Ciel scowled and shook his head. "No, it's not that! It's just-"

"Come on, you can do it! Just don't spend too much time in one place and you'll be done before ya know it!"

I noticed the emotionless expression Sebastian wore as he stepped forward in front of me.

We all watched the young Earl manage to walk with decent precision and steadiness on the rope. Yet a few minutes later, he began to lose balance, leaning too far on his right.

"Uh oh, Finnian, watch yer-" Joker began before getting cut off by surprise towards what occurred next.

Ciel was suddenly standing straight again, though an obvious look of pain was set on his face. I snickered, realizing the butler was using those rocks _again._

"Phew, he recovered nicely, I see…" the orange-haired host commented.

The Earl seemed to be losing his balance more often, perhaps due to the pain that was shooting up his side, but Sebastian held no mercy and continued shooting more rocks at his body to keep him upright. Noticing the ever growing smirk on the butler's face, I just knew his sadistic nature was thoroughly enjoying the 'abuse' he was able to administer on his master, even if just for a brief moment. In a manner of minutes, Ciel had finally made it to the other side and was already climbing back down to the ground to meet us.

"That was wonderful! I was surprised you managed to do it! You actually seemed faster than her," Joker commented while Sebastian was trying to hold back his chuckles.

Ciel gave a grimace, clutching his bruised back. "Th-thank you…" he said uneasily.

"So, ya gonna pass these two, Joker?" Dagger questioned, coming between me and Ciel and placing his hands on our shoulders.

Joker approached us with his mischievous grin. "Yeah, she passes," he announced, gesturing to me and I smiled in appreciation. He nodded before moving on to Ciel. "You pass too, but there's one more thing ya gotta do!"

Ciel gave him a wary look, wondering why he was being held back. "And…what is that?"

"Ya gotta show me a big ole smile!" Joker stated, flashing him his ever present grin.

The Earl was stunned at the host's supposedly 'outlandish' request and I saw Sebastian turning away from us, his broad shoulders trembling at holding back the teasing laughter that was begging to be released.

I watched as Ciel's fist shook in his hidden anger, his teeth clenched as well. My eyes then grew in utter awe at what appeared before us: A genuine and wide smile spread on the normally stern Earl's face.

I blinked several times at his rare happy expression, finding it to enhance his handsome features quite nicely.

"See, was that so hard? Now that that's settled, congratulations! Ya both pass!" Joker exclaimed in joy and then sped on ahead, urging us to come along. "You all should pick out your outfits, now that you're officially part of the circus!"

We followed the host, Ciel and I walking side-by-side while the demon butler trailed close behind us.

I stole a glance at the Earl, who felt my gaze and shifted his stern blue eye at me. A warm expression crossed my face as I spoke the next few words.

"You should smile more often, my lord. You're so adorable that way, and it suits you well."

A blush of embarrassment burned on the Young Master's cheeks and he turned away from me, though I could still see and smell his blood reaching his ears.

"Shut up and leave me be," he simply stated and began walking faster in front.

I frowned and sighed for the second time that day before sensing Sebastian's presence beside me.

"Why is it so hard to talk to him?" I asked, pondering over the Earl's incessant attitude.

The butler chuckled and shook his head. "You should not have wasted your breath, Janelle. You already know the young lord well enough, do you not?"

I shrugged, turning my attention down at my feet. "Yeah…I suppose I shouldn't have even tried..."

I then quickly changed the subject to a happier topic. "Can you believe it, Sebastian? I actually passed!"

He raised an eyebrow at me with an amused smile. "Of course, I believe it."

The butler then exhaled in an exasperated manner and placed a hand over his forehead.

"But I was a bit disappointed by your performance overall. You seemed to lack confidence despite all that grueling practice you went through," he stated, but seeing that his smirk was still in place, I knew he was teasing me, as usual.

I shook my head with a slight chuckle. "I should have known you'd be like this. Perfectionist as always."

"…Especially when you were throwing those daggers. Dear lord, I was beginning to think my eyes would bleed at your _terrible_ aim," the butler continued on, his hands clasped behind his back with that nonchalant grin on his face.

I gapped at him and he merely snickered. "Sebastian, I was _nervous_! And you know I don't like crowds; it makes the situation even worse for me…" I then paused, rubbing my chin in thought. "Though I probably _should_ have practiced more on throwing knives…"

"Indeed, yet you destroyed the poor trees you practiced on with those kitchen knives you brought along. Any further and I'm afraid there would have been none whatsoever," he teased again. The butler was _clearly _on a roll here…

I pouted like a child, getting a bit fed up. "…Would you be quiet for a few seconds?"

"As you wish. How _many_ seconds, dear?" he said, his eyes holding that unending playfulness.

"…Never mind."

* * *

After donning our acquired circus outfits and receiving rather _interesting _stage names, Joker took us on a tour of the whole area, showing us the various tents and certain places we shouldn't cross, which included Snake's tent and the main cast's private tent. Those certain places were obviously ones that caught Ciel and Sebastian's attention the most in terms of their investigation, especially considering they had to rank high enough to be able to enter the latter.

As newcomers, we were considered 'second-tier' members, whereas those who had been here the longest, including Joker and Dagger, were considered the 'first-tier' members.

"Ya get a lot more privileges when you make it as a first-tier member, ya know. That's why those who start out all aim to achieve that rank," Joker explained before taking us to another larger and expansive tent.

Inside, many fellow members of the circus were already practicing on several different obstacles. People were juggling, tight rope walking, using the trapeze, animal training and more. One could see that Joker spoke the truth; the tension and competition here was certainly extreme.

"Here's the practice tent. This is where the newcomers gather in order to work hard at makin' a name for themselves," Joker stated, eying the three of us. "Don't feel too pressured. Just start from the basics for now. Eventually, you'll be able to do other-"

"Joker!" A feminine voice called and our attention was cast on the voluptuous animal tamer entering the scene.

"It's time for you to get on stage!" Beast told him.

Joker's eyes lit up. "Oh right!" He turned to us and grinned. "Go on and practice, you three! Don't be afraid to step out of yer comfort zone!"

As soon as Joker disappeared from our view, Beast turned around, catching sight of Sebastian and giving him a glare that burned with disdain.

I narrowed my eyes in disapproval at her expression and then looked to the butler, who wasn't perturbed in the slightest. He then caught my eye and smiled, giving a small wink before following his master.

I decided to use the time I had alone to explore the practice area. Walking among the various obstacles and admiring some of the circus members' skills, I was beginning to lose hope. She _still _wasn't here. I was tempted to ask those around me on whether they knew her, but they all looked too focused and I didn't dare want to disturb them.

Scanning the area once more, my eyes froze when I thought I had spotted someone familiar. My breath caught in my throat, but the person was nowhere. I was imagining things again.

But at the same time, I couldn't shake off this feeling like I was being watched. I didn't like it, especially when I couldn't see who it was.

Deciding to let it go for now, I looked down at my outfit, glancing over the white flat shoes that were given to me, along with the milky pink button up dress that reached to my mid-thighs, and lacy tights of matching color. Obviously, these weren't clothes I was used to wearing, but I would have to get over it. Besides, the name I was given was something I was still puzzling over. Why on earth did Joker give me that specific name, considering Sebastian's and Ciel's made more sense?

But I shouldn't complain; at least it wasn't something terribly embarrassing, like Ciel's had been for him.

Thinking of those two, I turned back around and looked up, noticing the butler and the Earl stretching in a far off corner, both of them discussing over the clues they had gathered so far. A smile broke on my face at their comical way of stretching, seeing Ciel's back leaning on Sebastian's. That is until Dagger came upon them and scolded their form.

"Why are you two stretching so sluggishly like that? Put more energy into it!" Dagger stated and the two of them broke apart.

Returning to the butler and Earl's side, I heard Dagger asking them what they were planning to excel at.

"Anything that _doesn't _have to do with using my body, like tight rope walking, is fine with me," Ciel answered almost immediately, thinking back to getting pummeled by Sebastian's way of 'help'.

"Ha-ha! I guess you do seem a bit weak, Smile…" Dagger gave a sympathetic laugh and then noticed me next to the Earl.

"How about you, Pearl?"

I cringed inwardly at the mention of my stage name but hid it behind my smile. "Um…actually, I wouldn't mind excelling at tight rope walking. And I think the trapeze looks fun too," I replied, looking up at the people flying through the air during my last words.

Dagger nodded. "Well then, I'll be teaching Smile how to throw knives, since he seemed to be the best at it. And you, Black? What would you like to try out?"

"I have no preferences," Sebastian stated indifferently.

"Oh, but ya got good reflexes, right?" Dagger commented. "If there's anything that catches yer eye, you should definitely try it out!"

"Indeed," Sebastian replied with a smirk before dashing off in a flash and immediately participating in the obstacles.

"First, The Flying Blanco!" the butler announced, using the trapeze with perfection.

Ciel and I held blank expressions, knowing full well the butler was able to do practically all that was provided at the circus.

"Juggling! Pole Climbing! Ring of Fire! Trampoline!"

Oh boy…

Throughout his demonstrations, all I heard were constant sounds of amazement and rounds of applause. I rolled my eyes in a playful manner. I was still waiting on something he seriously couldn't do, and at this rate, I guessed I would never know.

"Next is…" Sebastian said, about to run a sword down his throat.

"_Okay! _I think we all get it now!" Dagger interrupted him, thus preventing him to go any further.

"WOW!"

"That's incredible, Black!"

"You've got some raw talent! How'd you learn to do all that?"

Sebastian merely put on his usual grin as those around him praised his adept skills. The butler came up to me and Ciel, neither of us looking amused as much.

"You're getting too carried away! Act more like a newcomer, will you?" Ciel demanded quietly, giving him a warning glare.

"My apologies," Sebastian replied with a small bow.

I gave a smug smile and tilted my head. "It's okay, Smile. Black was just trying to show off, as usual," I teased, my grin getting more malicious.

Sebastian turned to me, his smirk beating mine in no time and he placed a gloved hand on the top of my head before ruffling my hair into an unkempt state.

"Aw man!_ Another_ super newcomer! I sure ain't gonna lose to you!" Dagger declared with a wry smile.

Ciel frowned and turned to Dagger. "What do you mean by 'another'?" he questioned.

"Lookie there!" Dagger simply pointed upwards and the three of us followed his direction.

"He says he's some sorta government worker, but he's really amazin'! Serious and all, but great nonetheless!"

All three of us looked on in surprise at the familiar man above us walking on the tight rope. I honestly thought I would never see _him_ again. It seemed so long ago; back when I first encountered the Earl and his butler.

"Hey, Suit! Why don't ya come down and meet the newcomers!" Dagger suggested towards the man.

The man, or otherwise, the grim reaper known as William T. Spears.

William merely looked down at us, his eyes narrowing into a look of hate. A sigh expressing his displeasure escaped him.

"Hmph, I knew I sensed something disturbing. So it was you._ Brilliant_," the reaper stated in all seriousness before suddenly jabbing his scythe down between Sebastian and Ciel.

The demon butler furrowed his eyebrows and immediately stepped forward, pushing me and Ciel behind him and away from the reaper.

"Honestly, what more are you scouring here for? You devilish fiend!" William snapped, his dangerous scythe pointed bluntly at Sebastian's neck.

Everyone around us looked on in shock at the sudden violent act. Mutters of the word 'devil' began floating about the crowd, the controversial word stirring up a storm.

Ciel's expression read horror and shock, whereas the protective instinct inside me kicked in and I stepped closer to Sebastian's left, clutching onto his arm and glaring at the reaper.

William glanced over at Ciel on Sebastian's right before catching sight of me clinging to the demon. His eyes widened in shock behind his rectangular spectacles, before turning to a look of further disgust.

"With the shortage of grim reapers, I'm already on a tight schedule as it is. Knowing that a demon is in the premises, however, that will further throw my work off course," William stated without any concern of what the witnesses around him were thinking.

"A…grim reaper?" Dagger said softly before a loud chuckle began to break from him. "Oh I get it! Give it up, Forehead! You said that so seriously, it was hard to tell you were joking!"

The audience then burst into laughter like Dagger, all of them oblivious to the real facts.

Dagger held his aching stomach and then jabbed his thumb at William, who was combing back his well-kept hair with a straight face.

"This guy's always goin' on about 'souls' and all that! Don't take him seriously, y'all!"

"They're not actually jokes," William muttered but Dagger didn't hear him.

Instead, the first-tier member promptly made introductions between the four of us, though we all were familiar with each other, though not quite so between me and the reaper.

"Well then, hope you guys can get along swimmingly and succeed together!" Dagger finished with a grin.

William merely pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose before turning away. "I have no intention of having a relation with that savage beast," he said bluntly before walking away.

"Hey! Don't be like that, Suit! Ya gotta give them a chance!" Dagger shouted to him with a raised fist.

"If a grim reaper is here…then that means…" Ciel started quietly, exchanging glances with his butler.

"Yes, my lord. It's true that there_ is_ something going on here after all," the demon declared.

Ciel grew serious again. "Sebastian-"

"Oi, Smile! You should be practicing, not dawdling! Don't wanna lose to Black, do ya?!" Dagger interrupted and began dragging Ciel away, leaving Sebastian and me behind.

Seeing that Sebastian was walking towards where William went to, I pondered on where I should start practicing, my eyes set on the tight rope corner of the room.

As I was making my way towards my intended destination, all thoughts vanished when I felt a hard, cold hand grasping my shoulder.

* * *

-Sebastian-

This was troublesome indeed. I would rather not speak with the reaper, but for the sake of this case and my lord, I had to do what I must.

Catching sight of the nuisance about to climb a ladder, I wasted no time in approaching him.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to have a word with you," I requested in a polite tone.

The reaper scoffed at my words. "Why would I waste time speaking with you?"

I knew all too well he'd respond this way, but I was not about to take 'No' for an answer.

"Don't be stubborn now." I grasped onto his wrist in a tight hold, preventing him from moving any further. "Let us go outside, shall we?" I suggested, noticing his growing glare.

"Would ya look at that? Those two are gettin' along already!" The overenthusiastic first-tier member shouted from behind us.

An uncomfortable shiver of disgust ran through my body, much like how a certain _vulgar _reaper would elicit from me. I didn't mean for this to go the wrong way, but clearly the human boy thought otherwise.

How utterly disgusting…

…

"What a disaster. Having to come out here in such circumstances…" William muttered as soon as we were in a secluded area outside, his fingers touching the side of his spectacles.

"Hmm, then why is it that you are asked to come here?" I asked, curious of his situation.

The reaper sighed, but explained. "I was asked to clean up after a troublesome reaper, who is still undergoing punishment. Of course, I didn't expect to get special treatment, but being forced out here like this is beyond me."

A smug smile rose on my lips, understanding how the investigation was tying in with his presence. "For a grim reaper to sneak in at time like this...is this some sort of special situation?"

"There's no way I would release information on souls so easily to a savage like you. It'd be like sending a pig to its slaughter."

I merely scoffed at his words. "I have no interest in poor quality souls."

"Says the demon starving for a meal…"

All humor vanished from me and my eyes narrowed at his words. My irises began to burn, the flames inside me taunting and reminding me how _hungry _I truly was.

"Who says you wouldn't go chasing after every free soul you see? You wouldn't be able to contain yourself, especially in your deprived state," the reaper went on.

I disregarded his words like they were nothing. "You may have a point. But I have grown tired of sampling every available dish. I find that the hungrier one is, the more delicious the dinner will be."

William merely fixed his glasses again, before they flashed when he lifted his head, catching sight of something behind me. I didn't bother turning around, until he spoke.

"I'm surprised that woman is here with you and the boy. At first I hadn't recognized her; I had thought she'd be dead by now. Why haven't you eaten her soul yet? I can't assume she is alive for a reason other than to be part of your cultivated meal," William furrowed his brows, his eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses.

Momentarily confused at what he said, I turned around, only for a pang of shock and anger to erupt inside me at seeing Janelle outside in the distance, with _him. _The vermin I should have been able to eliminate before, if not for her stopping me.

He was pursuing her again. If the reaper beside me was right about my having no restraint, I would have ripped that man to shreds right on the spot. I could clearly sense her fear despite the distance; feel her emotions burning in my fingertips. But as of this moment, she was of no concern to me.

Closing my eyes for a split second, I forced myself to turn away.

Those emotions were not apparent in my actions and I merely sent the reaper a fake smile. "A reasonable guess, Spears, but I have no intention in eating her. In fact, she _has_ no soul, so to speak."

William raised a brow and tore his gaze away from the female vampire in the distance. "So it would seem. There's something very off about that woman. Don't tell me she's a demon like you."

The thought amused me and I chuckled, shaking my head. "No, no, she is not. Anyway, returning to current matters..." I pulled back my left glove and revealed to him the contract symbol on the back of my hand. "You do not need to worry about me meddling into your business. I'm already bound to another, so please do continue."

William gave me a wary look before setting the sharp side of his scythe downwards.

"Fine, I'll just get straight to the point."

* * *

-Janelle-

"Darling, slow down."

I gasped when his fingers grazed against my arm again and I forced him away, finally stopping and turning to him. My arms were crossed over my chest as I waited for what he would say next.

"Ah, ah, don't say it; you want to know why I'm here, yes?" Percival grinned at me, his cerulean eyes glimmering like the distant sources of lamp light behind him.

My eyes avoided his and instead, wandered over his body. He was wearing his circus outfit, but the simple style was similar to his casual attire. His shirt bore stripes on one half compared to the other plainer half in colors of red, white, and blue, much like the flag of Great Britain. The slim pants he wore were navy blue.

I had to admit, he didn't look half bad, yet at the same time, I wanted to stab my brains out for thinking that way. His toned chest showing through his shirt wasn't helping in the least bit.

Percival began to pace before me, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I was searching for this girl I came across, and _damn_, you should have smelled her blood, Janelle! She smelled _so _delicious. I just had to follow her! So happens she's here!"

I didn't say anything. It was so typical of him, pursuing another girl for his own gain-to use her and then drain her body to nothing. He just enjoyed playing with his food.

"I think I know what you're going to ask next. 'How were you able to be a part of this circus so fast?' Or something to that effect, right, my love?" He peered over his shoulder at me before continuing.

I kept my gaze firm on the ground, wishing I could be buried underneath the dirt and never appear again. Six feet under, no, _ten_ feet, it didn't matter as long as I was far below.

"Believe me, Janelle, you and I both share the same opinion when it comes to the circus. Why the hell would I want to join a bunch of clowns, right? Carlene did, but why would I care?"

My head slowly lifted at the mention of the female vampire, my eyes now set on his back.

"I did the entrance test just a little earlier than you this morning. In fact, just a little over an hour before you arrived with that boy and that fucking butler you're so fond of."

My eyes burned red in an instant at hearing him insult Sebastian. I didn't care to hear what else he was saying at the moment. A crazy idea had crawled into my mind and I acted on it without thinking, my body lurching forward with my fist ready to plunge right through him from behind.

Of course, he caught my fist easily, his rough fingers rubbing against my skin in an almost affectionate way.

"What the hell, were you just trying to _kill _me?" He laughed before his expression grew dark and he pushed me backwards. "That silly Joker named me _Flash _for a reason, you know. I'm a thousand times faster than you'll ever be. You weren't _born_ a vampire after all, remember?"

I held my right hand in my other, hating the feel of him on me. Rubbing my hand, I stayed quiet.

"What's wrong with your voice? Say something already!" Percival demanded, taking an intimidating step closer to me.

I merely turned my back to him, my eyes blank and gazing at nothing in particular.

My ex-fiancé's eyes bore holes into me for a long moment before I heard his sinister chuckle.

"Why did you let me escape that time, Janelle? The damn demon could have killed me. It was his chance, but you ruined it," he spoke in a playful tone.

I stayed silent and frozen, before feeling a tug on my scalp and his presence behind me. His fingers had collected a few strands of my fuchsia-colored hair and he rubbed them together like he always enjoyed doing. He brought the locks to his lips, which were stretched into a malicious grin on his face.

"Ahh, I get it now. I knew it, Janelle, I knew it. You _do _care about me. You still want me_ so_ badly," he whispered seductively, his body getting closer to me.

He stopped when he saw my head shaking ever so slowly, and then when I finally turned back around, he saw an unreadable emotion present in my eyes.

"No, you're wrong…" I finally spoke in a tone that sounded foreign to his ears.

He almost couldn't catch what I just said. "What was that?" he asked, leaning his head towards me.

"I don't give a _damn_ about you," I stated more clearly, my eyes finally meeting his. "I lo-"

He could already sense what I was about to say, the unknown emotion from me was now clear to him. Without holding back, he ceased my neck into his right hand, his fingers clenching around my throat without mercy. I immediately choked, his grip immensely powerful and already causing blood to seep from the gashes formed by his fingernails in my marble skin. Even if I didn't have to breathe, I knew that he could snap my neck in mere seconds and I'd be done for. He was someone who could kill me without even trying.

"Don't. You. Fucking. Say. Another. Word!" he stated in a furious and bitter tone, jolting my head back and tightening his hold on me with every word he uttered.

My fangs were bared as my mouth remained open, gasping for useless air. My vision was blurry and I knew my energy was slipping with every passing second. I _couldn't_ let myself die by his hand, not yet.

My trembling hand went to grab onto his arm, trying to pry his grip from me when out of nowhere, he yelled out in pain and let me go in an instant, taking several steps away from me.

I coughed violently, clutching my neck and feeling the cracks that had formed from his deadly hold on me. Once my vision cleared, I noticed the ominous, black aura emitting from me again, but this time it was coming out of my neck instead of my arm. At the same time, the left side of my chest felt strangely heavy and warm, but there was no pain. It was strangely comforting. I still didn't understand what it was. It saved me…for the second time.

Taking notice of this black aura, along with the scent that came along with it, Percival's face twisted into one of pure fury, making him look completely inhumane and monstrous. His right hand was burning slightly, remnants of the aura floating above his wound.

He shook his head in disbelief, his fangs bared. "You didn't…you and that…_demon! _Tell me you didn't!"

I breathed heavily, wincing and trying to stabilize myself. I wasn't sure if I was going to be saved again if he tried anything more.

His entire body trembled in his rising anger, the scent that he smelled so clearly from me disgusting him to his core.

"_You fucking whore!_" he spat at me, knowing full well whose scent this belonged to.

I winced and lowered my head, from the throbbing pain _and_ from his words.

His expression then grew softer, to one that looked pleading. He fell to his knees and my eyes widened at his unusual behavior.

"You're a fool, Janelle." He lifted his head up at me, his blue eyes flickering red. "You're a_ fool_! Don't you realize that a demon like him will do nothing but _hurt_ you?!" Percival shouted at me, his fangs getting longer again.

My eyes watered slightly but I didn't dare show him how much weaker I could be. I was drowning.

"He can _never_ return your feelings! He's using you and in the end, he'll abandon you! Is that what you want?"

I wanted to laugh at what he was saying. Right now,_ he_ sounded like a fool. Yet maybe he was right about one thing. Maybe I was a fool too.

"Yes…you're probably right about him…" I started to say. Before he could interrupt, I finished my sentence.

"But…that's exactly what you did to me."

The color of his irises darkened and he tore his furious gaze from me, saying nothing in response. He was too shaken, too stunned.

"If you ask me, I would say you're no different from a demon at all."

Saying nothing more after that, I turned my back on him for the last time and walked away, separating myself from him once again.

He remained there on his knees, blank and at a loss for words.

* * *

There was laughter and loud chatter when I returned to the practice tent. Hearing other people's voices was comforting; it helped me erase everything, including the aching pain that lingered in my neck.

I casually walked in, keeping my gaze on the ground until I sensed a familiar presence. Lifting my head, I saw that it was Ciel, who looked completely exhausted, with Dagger by his side, motivating him to keep training.

Continuing on, I met up with the demon butler, who was standing not too far from his master. As I made eye contact, I saw that he was stern, his arms crossed and looking like he was expecting something.

I forced a smile, hands clasped behind my back. "Hey there…"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "_Hey there?"_ he repeated, as if he didn't believe I just said that.

I frowned, tilting my head and ignoring the throbbing that came with that simple move. "What's wrong, Sebastian?" I then placed my hands together in front of me, acting excited. "So how's the investigation going? Did you two find-"

The demon cut me off, taking hold of both my arms and clenching hard. His crimson eyes bore into mine and he spoke in a low, almost threatening tone. "Enough, Janelle. Stop with the act."

My eyes wavered slightly but I immediately masked that with another smile. "Sebastian, I was just asking-"

"_Stop_," he repeated himself, his fingers digging into my skin the tighter he grabbed me. But unlike _him_, the pain was inflicted by something other than malice. It was numbing. I didn't mind it at all.

I swallowed, clenching my fists and hesitantly meeting his red eyes, which were vibrant with anger, yet burned with what looked like worry. He had known right away, but I had wanted to pretend.

"I saw him, and I can smell him all over you. What did he do?" the butler demanded, shaking me slightly.

I shook my head, not wanting him to get involved again. "I'm fine, Sebastian."

"Don't you _dare_ lie to me," he snapped, his patience wearing out.

I furrowed my eyebrows and retorted, "It's my problem, so there's no need for-"

"Speak one more word and you'll see a side of me that you won't like, Janelle. So stop," he said again, warning me not to cross the line.

I pursed my lips, breaking eye contact with him and obeying. He then released me and in a gentler tone, he asked, "Where did he hurt you?"

Remaining still, my right hand was the only one that moved, fingers grazing ever so slightly over my throat. Without hesitating, the butler's gloved hand swiftly went to undue the top buttons of the collar of my dress covering my neck from view.

I froze as soon as he opened the collar, revealing to him the dark purple and fingerprint-shaped bruises marring my skin. Though the fingernails punctures were able to heal more quickly, those bruises would remain a little longer considering they were inflicted by the one who turned me.

I was scared to know of his reaction, but forced myself to look up at him regardless. Surprisingly, I saw no apparent expression on his still face. His crimson eyes had dulled slightly and I felt immediate shame under his intense stare. I hated that he had to see what I _couldn't _prevent from happening. I hated it so much.

Without warning, he let go of my open collar and turned away from me, and only then did I sense his energy spiking up to an alarming intensity.

"I'll _kill _that bloody bastard." Sebastian's voice was cold and demonic, the voice that chilled my bones and nearly froze me to one place.

Those simple words of his slowly registered in my head, and I knew that he was dead serious. I stepped closer to him and reached my arm out, my fingers grazing his lean back in my attempt to grab him before successfully being able to grasp his right arm.

"Wait, you can't do this!" I tried to get him to listen.

He halted in his tracks and turned to me with his fiery magenta irises and slit pupils. "You cannot stop me this time, Janelle. You should have let me finish him long ago."

I could see his fangs as he spoke, his blazing glare burning into my watery blue orbs. I shook my head again. "I don't intend to stop you. But you have to be rational here. You cannot risk making a scene, especially when you're going undercover with your investigation. Remember your master…"

His aura and energy dimmed down at the reality of my words. The color of his eyes turned to the mellower red and his expression calmed, yet still held reluctance. His eyebrows knotted together before he sighed heavily and shrugged his arm out of my grasp.

"I know…" he simply replied. After a brief pause, the demon turned around to me, his gloved fingers reaching out to gently touch the bruises.

"Do you still feel pain?" he asked, his voice was soft.

I gave a bitter smile and slowly nodded my head, grasping onto my neck. Without me noticing, his crimson eyes flashed once at the thought that crossed his mind and I felt his hand pull mine away from my throat. His head then leaned down close, his nose grazing against the tender skin as he moved my hair out of the way.

"Sebastian…" I breathed, my whisper sending pleasant chills through his body. He then pressed his warm and soft lips onto my neck, instantly leaving a tingling sensation that had me closing my eyes in sudden bliss.

He continued planting kisses down over my neck, the sounds of his lips attaching and detaching from my skin ignited my senses and brought me back to life. There would have been more pain when one pressed against the bruises, but his affectionate touches did the opposite. It seemed to eliminate the ache and replace it with a burning that soothed the pain and sped up the healing process.

Feeling me leaning my neck to the side and hearing soft sighs of content escape me, his lips formed into his infamous smirk against my skin. He decided to take it up a notch, allowing his tongue to dart out and tantalize me further. His strong arms pulled my body up against his, preventing me from moving away from him.

The velvety, moist muscle from his mouth succeeded in arousing my dormant lust, as well as making me forget that I had ever gotten abused. My right hand grasped onto the back of his neck while my left slithered through his smooth, raven black locks, massaging his scalp.

A hum of content was heard from him, and to me, he sounded like a cat purring. I then felt his lips sensually moving upwards, along the contours of my neck and up to my jaw bone, his mouth lingering there for a moment.

"Janelle…" I heard his husky voice whisper into my ear.

"Yes?" I replied quietly, breaking out of my daze.

"Stay away from him…and stay with _me_," he said, his warm breath tickling the side of my cheek.

My eyes widened a bit and he pulled back to see my face, his crimson irises slightly hazed with desire as his intense stare shot right through me.

I nodded, a hint of pink touching my pale cheeks. "I will."

Sebastian's smile returned and he leaned closer, his gaze settled on my lips. But then-

"Seba-I mean, _Black! Pearl!_"

The two of us froze in place and we turned our heads to see Ciel standing right there, his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently on the floor. Not only that, his face was blooming red with what looked like embarrassment, like he had just witnessed what we had been doing.

"Yes, my lord?" Sebastian asked nonchalantly, his close-eyed grin present.

"Both of you keep your hands to yourself at once!" Ciel demanded, trying to calm down his flustered state.

The two of us separated from each other immediately. I turned away from Ciel for a brief moment, buttoning up the collar of my dress and hiding the fading bruises from view whereas Sebastian had a prideful grin on his face. Any other adult would have thought we had gone further than what we actually did. I was ashamed of my momentary ignorance towards our current surroundings.

Ciel then marched right up to his butler, poking him straight in the chest with a hard glare on his face. "Tell me Sebastian, you realize where we are, correct?"

The butler nodded, placing a hand over his chest. "Of course, my lord. I simply got carried away. I take full responsibility for my actions."

The Young Master growled in annoyance, the blush still present on his face. "You need to stop going overboard and think about the effects your 'actions' cause on those watching you!"

My eyes widened again at the Earl's statement and I looked around at the people in the tent, seeing that most people were still going on with their business, though there were a select few who stole a few glances at us.

"Indeed, you are right master. I will refrain from embarrassing you in public," Sebastian bowed, though he still had his smile.

The young Earl shook his head and motioned for his butler to come along. Sebastian obeyed, but peered over his shoulder at me, his crimson eyes holding the remnants of promiscuity from our brief, heated moment.

I merely stuck out my tongue at him in a teasing manner, eliciting a chuckle from him before he returned to Ciel's side.

Letting my fingers coil around my neck one last time, I felt nothing, no pain.

The bruises were now gone without a trace.


	29. Invisible

**I've been itching to continue writing for this story for so long; so after finding time and spending two days working on it, I was able to cough up another extra long chapter! Whoo!**

**I sincerely appreciate the new faves, follows, awesome views, and glittering reviews from _VampireSiren_, _Safire Lupe_, _Tsukino Aisuru –A,_ _Jasmine98_, _NonieBee_, _KHRLover1997_, _xxyangxx2006_, and _Knyttet. _Y'all make my heart flutter!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

-Janelle-

This was incredibly hilarious.

It was already bad enough that Ciel had to endure being separated from his butler by sharing a tent with someone else. But the worst part was what had come next-Sebastian's assigned roommate was none other than the grim reaper himself, Mr. Spears.

Standing off to the sidelines and watching Joker grinning like all was well with the world whereas the demon and reaper looked just about ready to rip each other's heads off, it was hard for me not to crack a smile at this supposed 'mess'.

"So, everyone's clear so far on their designated tents and roommates, correct?" Joker asked while shuffling through his papers.

"That's right! Smile and I are gonna be best buds in no time!" a young girl with shaggy brown hair covering her left eye stated with a grin, slinging an arm around a moping Ciel.

From the looks of her more unfeminine clothes, I had thought she was a boy at first, considering she was dressed in trousers. But hearing how light her voice was, I didn't think it could have belonged to a male. Unless, of course, if puberty hadn't struck yet, but I wasn't about to dwell on that silly matter.

"That's good to hear! Smile and Black already get along so well, so we thought it'd be good for the both of you to make some new friends! Gotta step out of your comfort zone remember?" Joker reminded Ciel with a wink.

Ciel merely gave a sigh and reluctantly agreed whereas Sebastian and William were still caught up in there intense 'death glare' battle.

The orange-haired host then crossed over to me, scanning the papers in his hands and running a bony finger down the list of names.

"Ah! Pearl, you are going to be in tent number fifteen. Sorry that you're assigned a little farther from Smile and Black. _Especially_ Black, eh?" Joker gave his cat-like grin, giving me a nudge with his elbow.

I let out a small chuckle. "Oh yes, it will certainly be devastating for me to have to be separated from him. How _will _I go on?" I stated with a roll of my eyes.

Joker laughed and then I asked, "So, who is my roommate? Or…oh my, will I be lucky enough to have a tent to myself?" I asked with a dramatic gasp.

"Very funny, you silly goose, but don't get carried away now! Remember, ya gotta work your way to the top for that privilege."

He patted my head like I was a child, causing me to wince every time his bony hand knocked my cranium.

"As for your question, you'll have to head to where your tent is. I assume your roommate has just about finished working at this moment…"

His face then grew solemn, reading over the names again.

"It's strange though. Tent fifteen had already been occupied before, but apparently, one of the two had disappeared, so your roommate's been alone for quite some time now." Just as that seriousness set in, it was masked by his cheerfulness once again. "That's your cue! Go on then! Make yourself useful and befriend the poor, lonely soul!"

He coaxed me to move, pushing me forward a few feet from behind before carrying on with his priorities.

I watched him go in the corner of my eye before taking a deep breath and making my way towards the exit. Yet before I could even take three steps, a firm hand caught my wrist and yanked me back, stopping me from moving any further. The familiar warmth that belonged to this hand told me who it was and I slowly turned my head.

Behind me loomed Sebastian, who was staring me down with a stern look, though there was no anger behind it as far as I could tell.

"Oh, you done burning holes through that reaper's skull, are you?" I commented with a chuckle, but his expression did not change. Instead, his grip on me tightened.

"Which tent are you assigned to? I shall go with you," he merely stated like he wouldn't take any objections.

I didn't answer right away, for I was figuring out why he wasn't his usual, cocky self at the moment. I smiled a little, though that smile disappeared in the next second as I looked up at him, trying to show certainty in my eyes.

"It's all right. You needn't trouble yourself. I can take perfectly good care of myself." I winced, knowing that was the lousiest excuse I could come up with. I just knew what he was going to say next and I really didn't want to hear it.

He scoffed bitterly and refused to let me go. "Yes, Janelle, I've seen how well you've been able to handle things on your own, given the recent circumstances. I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Sebastian, please…"

"Why are you so keen on pushing me away?" he bluntly asked. His vibrant red eyes softened slightly and though it wasn't apparent, it almost looked as if he was a little upset.

"I…I'm not trying to push you away…"

I turned fully towards him and clasped my left hand over his gloved hand gripped on my wrist. I willed myself to smile for him, gazing straight in his eyes.

"I just don't want to have to depend on you all the time, especially when you have your master to look after. You know I'm not nearly as important."

He narrowed his eyes a bit and didn't answer me. I patted my hand on the back of his and tried to keep up a positive disposition. "May I ask that you trust me? I promise…I promise that I'll be okay."

I didn't know if he was going to give in, but I truly hoped so. I couldn't bear weighing my own problems on top of his priorities.

To my slight surprise, he adjusted his hold on me, loosening his grip on my wrist to grasping my hand instead. He then lifted our hands, pressing my knuckles against his smooth lips, his eyes downcast in deep thought. I could feel his cool breath against my skin, and a real smile broke on my face then.

In mere seconds, I felt his lips curl into his normal smirk against my fingers and he let go of me, his eyes flaming with that usual playfulness once again.

"All right, I shall hold you to that promise then. Now go before I change my mind," he said the last part seriously, though his malicious smile was still present on his face.

I laughed and began walking backwards. "Thank you, Sebastian. And…" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Good luck handling that reaper."

He crossed his arms, glaring at my words. "Please, I don't need such luck. And how dare you speak of that nuisance right now."

Sensing a sudden spike in his demonic energy, I quickened my pace. "I shall see you soon!" I called back to him, turning away and leaving the practice tent before he could say anything more.

* * *

Blood, that was the first thing that caught my attention when I had finally arrived at my designated tent.

It froze me in my tracks and I couldn't stop myself from inhaling the delectable scent deeply through my sensitive nose.

Human blood…It smelled absolutely…_delicious_.

My hand unconsciously rose to my throat, feeling the all too familiar aching burn. I swallowed and forced my legs to continue on, meeting the entrance of the tent.

The scent was so overwhelming, but I tried to keep control of myself. I was not about to cause bloodshed before I had even met my roommate.

Making sure my eyes weren't flaring red before entering, I lifted the flap of the tent and stepped quietly inside, only for me to freeze in place once again.

"Ow…oh god, this hurts…"

My eyes were glued to the person's caramel blonde hair, my ears immediately recognizing that small voice. It was_ her_.

I heard her hissing in pain as she struggled to get the first aid kit on a high shelf. She stood on a wooden stool, reaching for the white box with the Red Cross. All the while, I noticed that her left hand bore a nasty looking cut on the inside of her palm. My intense gaze focused on a single drop of blood slipping out of the oozing cut before it landed on the dirt ground. How I wished I could lick every drop of the red essence off the ground, and off her enticing wound…

I let out a menacing hiss, my fangs bearing slightly as I clutched onto my neck. Stop, there was no way I was going to hurt her!

The young woman grew frigid, having heard my snake-like hiss. I gulped in apprehension as she slowly turned her head to me. In surprise at seeing someone in her tent, the first aid kit, hanging on the edge of the shelf, descended on her head and caused her to tumble to her knees.

She cried out from the throbbing pain that took over her skull and I instantly sped to her side, kneeling in front of her.

"Oh no, are you all right?" I asked uselessly, even though it was obvious she wasn't okay.

She flinched at the sound of my voice and hesitantly lifted her head until her honey brown eyes met my ocean blue ones.

"Y-Yeah…t-that was my mistake," she stuttered in slight embarrassment, just like I remember she did a long while back.

I couldn't stop the warm smile that erupted on my face, feeling a sense of true happiness coursing through my cold veins. I couldn't believe I had finally found her. I couldn't believe it.

I chuckled, my hand touching her arm. "Eva…" I said softly.

A timid gasp escaped her and her eyes explored mine more deeply, as if she was trying to understand how I knew her name. Yet, seeing her raise her uninjured hand to her open mouth in the passing minutes, I knew she found the answer.

She continued staring at me for the longest time, though I didn't mind the tension. Sitting there together in the deathly silence, I couldn't help remembering the time when we were locked in that carriage with the other women, lost and riding off to nowhere. Maybe we were still lost and confused, but at least we weren't so trapped anymore.

Recognizing the pale color of my skin, my eyes, my hair and most importantly, the icy touch of my hand against her skin, she spoke in a broken whisper. "Y-You…It's…you?"

"You remember me?" I asked her sweetly, grasping her arm tighter and hoping that she really did.

She was clearly at a loss for words, her mouth still slightly open and her eyes now wandering to the ground. She didn't know what else to say, until she finally moved the fingers on her injured hand, which caused her to groan in pain again.

The blood on her right hand was still fresh and it was becoming extremely difficult to hold back my urge to bite into her sweet flesh. It would be so easy, but I repeated over and over in my head to refrain from doing so. I let go of her arm, noticing my fingers were beginning to tremble, but delicately held up her right hand anyway, feeling the warm blood and refusing to breathe through my nose.

"Let me help you with this. How did you get cut so badly?" I asked her, despite how shaken and shocked she still was.

"Umm…" She actually smiled a little, her white teeth peeking behind her chapped lips. "I…I was working backstage and accidentally…cut myself while handling one of the juggling knives. I…was being careless…"

I smiled back at her and stood up, gently helping her back on her feet. "Let's get you seated on this bed, shall we?"

She nodded and allowed me to guide her to the lower bunk bed. I examined her open wound closely, feeling my eyes burning red in a spilt second despite my efforts. Her blood smelled _too_ good…

"I-I'm sorry about the mess. I was trying to wash it off myself, before you came…" She then paused for a minute before looking up at me again. "Is it really you? That girl…you were the one who didn't speak, right?"

I grabbed the first aid kit off the ground and pulled up the small wooden stool to sit in front of her. While doing so, my eyes darted quickly over the interior of this tent. It was quite small, of course, much like all the other tents reserved for the second-tier members and backstage workers. There wasn't much either, save for a small crate, a dirty mirror, and the crammed shelf at the back of the tent.

Well, at least this place was a hundred times better than the environment we were forced to live in as prostitutes.

I turned my attention back to her and nodded. "It really is me. I'm here now and…I'm so relieved and glad that I found you…" I admitted, my smile not disappearing.

Eva furrowed her eyes in confusion at my last few words, frowning a bit before she spoke again. "Wait, you were trying to find me? But…why? We hardly even know each other," she questioned me.

I paused in my work, finally noticing the rough, dried skin on her hands and how frail and thin her wrist felt in my grasp. She seemed to have lost even more weight since the time we were separated in that underground auction. Her skin had lost its peach complexion as well, leaving behind a grayish tint. She was in horrible shape and in her eyes, I could see that she was exhausted; tired of the misfortune she was forced into.

I hated what she had been through. I wanted to help her…

"Regardless, whether we knew each other or not, I just…had to find you." I made eye contact with her. "I had to know you were okay. I couldn't help feeling guilt and frustration at leaving you at that time…"

I then clutched her hand tenderly again, shaking it in my grasp. "In all honesty, you were the only one who showed me kindness and reminded me that…there _are _people out there willing to help. I just had to find them." I exhaled deeply and then smiled again. "So, I wanted to say…thank you. You don't know how much your company meant to me back then."

I bit my lip, not sure of how she was going to react to what I just confessed. Though, there were no other words. Instead, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around my torso, pulling me into a surprise embrace.

My eyes widened slightly and I tried to angle my head to look down at her, her thick, blonde hair blocking my view of her face. "Eva…?"

"Y-You too…" Her voice was muffled, but I could still understand her. "You were one of the only people that I thought could be my friend. I…I was so scared. I still am…"

I immediately wrapped my arms around her, patting her back in comfort. "It's okay. I'll get you out of this. You don't have to feel scared anymore."

"But I can't help it. I'm scared of what's going to happen. And I'm scared that the people I connect with will end up leaving me," she cried, her hold on me getting stronger.

I frowned and pulled her back so that I could see her face. My hands grasped firmly onto her bony shoulders and I stared her straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to be one of those people. I won't leave you, I swear."

Her brown eyes were glazed over with tears, some of them falling down her cheeks. "You won't?" she whispered, wiping the salty liquid from her face.

I nodded again with a firm smile. "I won't."

She averted her eyes to the ground for a minute, a few stray tears dripping as she did so before she lifted her head and returned my expression. "Okay…"

I patted her shoulders. "Good, now let's get you patched up quickly."

She patiently sat on the edge of the bed, helping me clean her wound with the antiseptic before I grabbed the bandages and began winding the gauze around her hand.

I was extremely glad when the deed was finally finished in the next few minutes. There was no way I was going to be able to endure anymore of this.

"Thank you so much. It almost feels a hundred percent better already!" she stated cheerfully, examining her bandaged hand from front to back.

She looked up, expecting to see my face but saw the back of my head instead. Her eyes widened when she saw that I was heading for the entrance of the tent.

"W-where are you going?" she asked me in a shaky tone.

I could hear the trepidation in her tone, and it had distracted me from the inner battle with my violent instincts. I forced a happy expression and looked over my shoulder at her. "Don't worry. I'll be right back. I just need some fresh air."

She sighed in relief and nodded. "Okay. I'll be heading to bed then."

"Yes, you do that," I agreed and gave her one last look of assurance before making my exit.

As soon as I was a good distance away from Eva's tent, I clutched onto a nearby crate, taking in ragged breaths. I was seriously going to lose it. I felt like ripping my own head off. It was hard, _so_ hard to hold it all in.

Staring down at my hand, remnants of her blood lingered on my fingertips. Without bothering to think otherwise, I brought my stained fingers to my mouth, allowing my tongue the pleasure of tasting her blood.

A content and breathy sigh escaped my lips. I licked my fingers until they were completely spotless, and yet, I was still not satisfied. Monstrous thoughts sped wildly in my head; including the thought of running all the way back to the tent and spilling her blood all over the floor so that I could feast to my heart's content.

I shook my head, wracking my fingers down my neck and forming gashes as I did so. I sank to the ground, burying my head in between my knees and concentrating on calming down.

I couldn't hurt her.

* * *

-Sebastian-

I stared in absolute boredom at the flaccid 'ceiling' of the tent, lying in a stiff and straight position on the bed. I was certainly not accustomed to doing absolutely nothing, and sleep did not come to me as easily as it had to the cursed reaper below me.

To think that I was forced to room with this annoyance; a silly thing, luck was. I had no such luck. One could say I had the capabilities and skill, but luck was not something I harbored, nor needed.

I let out an exasperated sigh and pulled myself up to a seated position, leaning my back against the wooden border of the bed.

Resting an elbow on the measly wood and holding my chin in thought, I went over all that had happened during the day in my mind. I skipped over many of the minor events and lingered on the most important: clues towards my master's investigation, and…

My hand clenched into a fist. Although I had remained by my master's side the entire time, it did not stop me from thoroughly scanning my surroundings and smelling the air for that cursed beast that was now on the prowl for her. Knowing that he had managed to infiltrate this area so suddenly, there was absolutely no way he was going to be able to escape this place _alive_.

My lips curled at my next few, more _malicious _thoughts. It had been quite a while since I was able to kill something, let alone _someone_. The lack of murder was indeed a crime, a dry spell that I must expel immediately. A demon not killing, that was utterly absurd!

I felt my blood boil in both fury and excitement at the thought of my hands catching hold of his innards and tearing them apart; that is, until I realized something. I hadn't been able to catch the vampire's scent at all throughout my examination, nor did I sense his aura.

It had aggravated me to no end. It was as if he had disappeared and was no longer within the vicinity. That couldn't be it. If he wanted _her _as much as he did, he would not give up and leave so easily.

Thinking about that beast led my mind to her, the words she had said to me playing in my head. My frown deepened further. I absolutely despised the fact that she tried to handle her issues on her own, when she clearly could _not _do so alone.

Another sigh escaped me. I just could not understand her at times.

But I did know one thing. She was _mine, _and therefore any problems that she faced would inevitably be mine to deal with as well.

Ending it on that note, I listened closely to the calm breathing of the reaper before shifting my position. I couldn't stand wasting time here, knowing that there was more for me to explore concerning the abducted children.

Moving forward, a brief draft coming through the flaps of the tent blew past me. Breathing in, the scent that was carried along with the draft caused me to flinch unintentionally.

Janelle, her scent…why was she outside?

Despite my restlessness, I continued moving slowly, making as little noise as possible. My hand grasped the side of the bed and I leaned forward. Yet just as I did so, the familiar clicking sound of the reaper's death scythe intercepted me from making another move.

I watched a few strands of my hair get cut off and float to the ground. My eyes narrowed and I turned my attention to the reaper, who was already glaring as he fixed on his spectacles.

"Where do you think you're going? It is far too deep into the night for any of your 'soul-stealing' motives. Refrain from wandering without a master and _stay put_," William ordered.

He then withdrew his weapon and fell back onto his bed, the rustling of the sheets heard in the next moment before all was silent once again.

I exhaled deeply for the third time that night. I suppose I had no other choice but to put my explorations on hold till morning.

* * *

-Janelle-

She was fine now, and that was all that mattered. She told me everything, about how she was sold off to another man at that auction, but was able to escape his grasp with the help of the man's son, who hated his father's treacherous ways with women. From then on, it had been a struggle for her to survive on the streets, as well as avoid captivity again, just as I had been forced to experience in the past. Her story was so similar to mine; it was as if we were sisters.

It was not until she was found by some of the first-tier members, along with a few other girls she had followed and traveled with. Seeking refuge at the circus, they told her she was too weak to try out for a higher position, and instead, gave her a job as a backstage worker.

"It's rough from time to time, especially when we're off touring to different places. I'm already so tired of moving from place to place, so I often hope that we stay longer in one area. I'm very glad we'll be here in London for a while though," she explained to me with a smile while I began climbing up the ladder leading to the trapeze.

"It's lucky that I was able to catch you here in time. Otherwise, I don't think I'd ever find you!" I called back to her before reaching the very top.

Eva looked up at me worriedly while I attempted to swing on the trapeze for the millionth time. Unfortunately, this was harder than I had thought, almost harder than the tight rope I would say.

"You can do it, Janelle! I have faith in you!" she hollered up to me with her hands cupped around her mouth.

I gave a nervous smile, waving down at her before taking hold of the trapeze and jumping off the platform. Feeling the wind blowing through my hair, I readied myself to flip in the air at the right moment. I let go of the first bar and exerted as much strength into my flip as possible in order to propel myself accurately.

Eva watched in awe, but her expression dropped when she saw that I had missed the second trapeze once again and shut her eyes before I painfully landed onto the netting at the bottom.

"Damn…" I muttered, moving the hair out of my face and resting an arm over my head. "I give up. I can't do this…"

The caramel blonde jogged towards me, holding her arm out for me to take. I smiled at her and accepted her hand as she pulled me up to my feet. I carefully got off the net and then bent over my knees, cursing at myself again.

"I thought you were going to make it that time. What do you think you're doing wrong?" She tilted her head while I whipped my hair back and glared at the trapeze like it was taunting me.

"Maybe I'm too heavy," I joked bitterly, placing my hands on my hips. I then laughed at myself. "I can't believe I wasted my time taking that entrance test. I could have just signed up to be a backstage worker like you!"

She shook her head, the lone braid within her tresses following her motion. "Don't say that. Being a second-tier member is a lot better than staying behind the scenes! Your position is so much more exciting!"

"Yeah, but I think I've had more than enough excitement in my life. I'd rather be invisible, really…" I replied.

She frowned at my words, staring at my distant expression before noticing me looking off to a different direction. She followed my line of vision and saw that my gaze was focused on the two distant men on the other side of the practice tent. Seeing a smile beginning to creep on my face, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Do you know those two?" she asked, snapping me out of my daze.

"What? Oh, well, sort of. I only really know one of them," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.

She then asked me to point out who I was talking about and I did so.

"That man, dressed in all black? Why does it look like he's wearing a butler's uniform?" Eva questioned, narrowing her eyes at Sebastian, who was currently attracting a crowd with his natural talents.

I hesitated on my answer, thinking over what was the proper thing to say. Sebastian and Ciel were on a secret investigation, so obviously, I couldn't blow their cover, even to Eva. Well, not now at least.

"He…used to work as butler, before joining the circus," I answered shortly, hoping she would buy that.

She seemed to believe me, and then I saw her giving me a sly grin. "Say, you never told me the reason why you joined this circus. Is it because of him? Is he your lover or something?"

The heat rose to my cheeks at her comment and I cleared my throat. "W-well, yes, you could say he was part of the reason. But mainly, I was looking for you."

She scrunched her nose like she had smelled something bad, when in actuality; it was her way of showing confusion. "Wait, there's still something I'm not getting. How did you know I was here?"

I knew she was going to ask me this question sooner or later, and I was fully prepared to answer. I exhaled and then said, "Okay, listen. Do you remember who your past roommate was?"

Eva nodded, grasping her arms. "Yes, I do. Her name was Carlene. She wasn't very nice to me at all. I mean, she _was _nice enough to help me get by but…other than that…she was…strange."

The blonde then turned to me, her doll-like eyes going wide. "You met her, didn't you?"

I nodded with a solemn expression, my eyebrows knotting together. "She didn't try to hurt you, did she?"

She shook her head. "No…but she kept telling me that I 'smelled nice', whatever _that_ meant. It really frightened me. And sometimes…" Eva hugged herself tighter, staring at the ground. "She'd stare at me with these blank, hollow eyes, like she was some kind of…lion that wanted to eat me…kill me."

She tried to laugh it off. "Sorry, you must think I sound crazy…"

I walked over to her, resting an arm around her shoulders. "No, you are absolutely not crazy. _She_ was the mad one."

Eva gave a light giggle before growing serious again. "Do you know what happened to her?"

I paused for a moment before shaking my head. "No, actually. I'm not sure if I'll ever see her again, not that I want to anyway."

Eva didn't say anything for a while, her head resting against my shoulder until she flinched and jerked back suddenly, her face showing slight fear.

"You know, I never wanted to say this, but now that you mentioned her, you and Carlene seem to be…similar in a way. It's hard to explain…" she said slowly, rubbing her right arm.

I chuckled at her words, much to her surprise. "Yeah, Carlene mentioned that to me when she told me of your whereabouts. She thought you were ignorant for saying that, but honestly, I kind of disagree with her." I shrugged my shoulders.

Eva shook her head vigorously. "No, she's right. I _am_ ignorant for thinking that, because you are not nearly as evil as she was."

I smiled, clasping my hands behind my back as I kicked a stray pebble on the ground. "Is that so? Hmm, thanks Eva."

She grinned at me, before her eyes held that former sense of mischievousness once again. "Hold on a minute, Janelle, you're not off the hook just yet. You still didn't answer my second question about you-know-who," she whispered the last word, all the while nudging me in the ribs and jabbing a thumb at a certain demon across the field.

I rolled my eyes. "Must you really drill on that particular question?"

She nodded enthusiastically and I sighed, crossing my arms. "Well, I'm not exactly sure…"

Eva frowned. "What does that mean? Don't you care about him?"

"Of course I do. He's…very important to me. But sometimes, it's hard to figure out how he feels about me. Or…if he feels _anything_ for me at all…" I shrugged again, knocking another pebble out of the way.

She sunk in what I said for a minute before replying. "Has he hurt you before?"

I paused and then shook my head. "No. He's helped me through nearly all of my struggles. It's strange but…I feel like he saved me, in more ways than one. I'd probably be dead if we had never crossed paths."

I hadn't noticed Eva's grin at me while I had refused to make eye contact with her, in fear of blurting out something not meant to be said.

"You shouldn't worry then, Janelle."

I turned my attention back to her, seeing that her gaze was set on Sebastian and William practicing in the distance.

"As long as a man treats you the way you want to be treated, then all is well. But…" Her voice grew softer. "If he ever hurts you, then it's over. In the end, you have to look after yourself, and put yourself first, Janelle. I mean, let's be honest."

She turned to me and grasped both of my hands. "You and I have been through so much mess in our lives already. Isn't it enough? Being used and treated like nothing but a toy…you can't let that happen again."

I stared down at our bound hands and rubbed my thumbs over her dry skin, swallowing back a lump that had formed in my throat. "Thank you for saying that, Eva. I'll keep that in mind."

I then lifted my head and gave her a stern look. "You better watch out for yourself too, you hear?"

She laughed and nodded, her cheeks gleaming pink in her joy. "Yes, yes, I will."

I sighed in content and then pulled her into my arms, hugging her once more. She giggled and returned my embrace, finally feeling less lonely in this one moment.

Enjoying the last few seconds of this hug, I heard footsteps and sensed a familiar aura approaching us. Though I knew who it was, I didn't bother breaking away from Eva just yet.

It was only when Sebastian was about a few feet away from us did Eva finally notice him. She gasped in surprise, jumping out of my grasp.

The demon chuckled at her fright and placed a hand over his chest. "Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you lovely ladies. Please, do continue with what you two were doing."

I narrowed my eyes at him with an amused smile. His tone had that hint of mocking again, like he was displeased with something. Oh great, what was he thinking this time?

Eva was back to her stuttering and babbling self again as she brushed off the front of her blouse. "U-um, no, i-it's okay. W-we were just hugging, right?" She sent me a flustered grin.

Sebastian tilted his head at us, his eyebrow raised in interest. "I see you know my Janelle. Tell me, dear, is she your roommate?" He directed the last statement to me.

Eva giggled at the blush that became prominent on my pale skin. I knew I hadn't just imagined what he had said prior to the question. Shaking it off, I nodded to him, patting the blonde on her back. "Indeed she is, Sebastian. _And _she so happens to be the girl I was looking for," I stated proudly.

The butler's crimson eyes lit up, a hand curled under his chin as he turned his gaze to the blonde beside me. Now it was her turn to blush, though I think it was out of shyness. Eva retreated closer to me, shrinking under his alluring stare.

"My, my, I am rather pleased that you were successful in finding her Janelle. It's about time you stopped moping now, isn't it?" he teased me, causing me to roll my eyes.

He then bowed lightly to Eva, executing his skills as a gentleman and a respectful butler. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am known here as Black."

Eva blinked once before she grinned and stepped away from me, shyly bowing to him as well. "Nice to meet you, Black. They call me Sunny here, even though I'm not a performer."

"Really? I didn't know that. The name they gave you is adorable!" I commented, turning to her.

She blushed harder and shook her head in protest. "No it's not! It's embarrassing!"

"Yes, I suppose you're right. All the stage names here are a bit embarrassing…" I stated with a straight face.

As if on cue, a loud voice suddenly boomed from behind us, shouting for Eva. "Oi! Sunny! What are ya doin' in here?!"

Eva gasped and turned around to see a young, scrawny boy approaching her and looking peeved off.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just talk-"

"Don't ya know you've got alotta work waitin' for ya?! C'mon now, we ain't got all day!" he snapped, taking her wrist and dragging her forward.

"Hey! Be gentle with her please!" I shouted before I could hold my tongue. Sebastian's eyes brimmed with amusement at my sudden outburst and he smiled.

The boy merely gave me a weird look, whereas Eva grinned at my protectiveness kicking in.

"Whatever, let's go!" the boy repeated himself and yanked on her again, ignoring my words.

I gripped my forehead, shaking my head in disapproval as I watched them disappear from view. Now that it was just the two of us, Sebastian stepped closer to me, allowing his arm to snake around my waist and pull me into his side.

"Well, that went better than I had expected. It was about time," he stated with a satisfied smirk, his gaze directed to where the two had left.

My eyes narrowed and I leaned my head back to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"_I mean_…" He slammed my face against his chest and then bent his head close to my ear. "Now I get to have you all to myself, and I didn't have to think up a strategy for your precious friend to leave either."

Although I had been pleased to be in his arms again, what he was saying was rubbing me in the_ wrong_ way.

I placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away, but not far enough because of his strong hold on me.

"You did _not_ just say that." I glared at him, trying to distance myself. "How can you say such things when I had finally found her, Sebastian?" I snapped. His grip on me was not loosening in the slightest.

His smirk merely grew wider, unperturbed by my words and incessant struggles against his hold. Instead, he grasped my wrist and began walking towards the exit of the tent in a brisk pace.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, letting my feet drag against the ground every so often in order to slow him down.

"Just come along with me, Janelle." His tone of voice held impatience and he looked back at me with annoyance. "And stop trying to fight me or I'm afraid your arm will be detached if you do."

The blue of my eyes darkened a bit but I bit my lower lip, stopping myself from saying anything that could further provoke him. I turned away from him, bottling up my irritation.

His lips curled into that devious smirk again and he continued onwards, noticing it was easier now that I had calmed down.

"That's my girl," he whispered, half to himself.

* * *

"You know, you can only be angry at me for so long, Janelle," Sebastian teased, finally stopping and turning around to me.

I growled under my breath and crossed my freed arms. I took the time to look around and noticed we were in a far, secluded area among a large number of crates and hidden behind two rounded tents.

"Where…are we? Is it safe here?" I asked without really thinking.

The demon butler chuckled at my words. "Does it matter where we are? You should know that you will always be safe with me."

I peered behind one of the tents and narrowed my eyes. "There's barely anyone here."

Sebastian nodded, a sly smile crossing his face. "Indeed…"

I turned back to him and noticed him taking off his left glove, the middle finger of the glove caught in between his teeth as he pulled it upwards.

I furrowed my eyebrows at his curious actions. "What are you doing, Sebastian?"

His smile grew wider. "So many questions…" His eyes then darkened a bit. "I was watching you practice earlier. Your lousy movements tell me that you seem to be lacking in energy."

I scoffed at him and looked to the side. "Well thanks for saying I'm lousy, like I didn't know that much."

Without me noticing, he pulled down his sleeve on his left arm, allowing the pale skin of his forearm to reveal itself. He grazed his skin with the gloved fingertips of his right hand and his eyes flashed in that demonic hue.

"You're thirsty again, aren't you?"

I froze at his utterly true words. He knew, _of course_ he knew. There was nothing I couldn't hide from this man. He knew me like the back of his hand. Dammit.

My head slowly moved back to him and he could see the anxiety written on my face. "I-I'm okay, Sebastian. I can still go on without feeding for a few more days."

I heard him humming in thought, watching him staring down at his exposed arm before he suddenly brought his wrist up to his mouth. My eyes widened when I saw his sharp fangs reveal themselves and, to my dismay, break through his soft flesh. Immediately, large beads of his dark red blood gathered at his self-inflicted bite wound and just as quickly, my eyes changed into that blasted fiery red.

He then whistled to me like I was a puppy, diverting my attention from his wound to his face. His left index finger curled at me, beckoning me to come closer. "Come, my dear. Your dinner awaits," he said in his usual teasing tone.

I couldn't believe him, what did he find so amusing about this?!

I shook my head and clenched my fists. "Sebastian, why are you doing this? You're not some kind of…personal blood bank for me! I can't let you do this!"

The demon frowned at my resistance and then rolled his eyes. "Don't start with me again, Janelle. I'm allowed to do whatever I please when it comes to you."

I began breathing heavily again, the scent of his blood flooding my senses and messing up my thoughts. Before I could even stop myself, my feet began moving forward by themself.

"Hurry now, dear, before your meal gets cold," he continued to toy with me.

A rivulet of blood had formed down his forearm and just as a drop of red began falling to the ground, I lurched forward and grabbed his arm, allowing my tongue to lap up the stream of his blood.

Sebastian gave a smirk of triumph at seeing me bending at his will, enjoying the sight of my eyes glowing red and my soft tongue running along his skin. The feel of me licking him clean sent pleasurable chills throughout his body and strangely, he didn't want me to stop.

He saw me hesitating when I had finished licking off the blood, my mouth now hovering over the veins that resided just below the barrier of skin. His crimson eyes met my equally fiery ones, seeing the concern behind the vicious gaze.

"Go on now," he urged me and I eyed his wrist again before opening my mouth and allowing my fangs to penetrate his flesh.

While I was feeding, in my mind, I convinced myself that I wouldn't go on for too long. Despite how utterly raw and delicious he tasted, I wouldn't delve into gluttony. That would just make me feel worse about what I was doing to him.

After hearing me taking in a few gulps, his eyes widened slightly when he saw me retract my fangs from his flesh and lick the already closing wound clean like I always did.

"Finished so soon?" he asked me, tilting his head.

I looked up at him, the irises slowly dimming back to blue. "Aren't you glad about that? Doesn't it…hurt?" I said softly, pure dread filling me.

"No, not in the least bit. It actually feels rather good to me," he admitted, glancing over his arm to make sure the bite wounds had closed up before covering it with his sleeve.

He watched me looking down at his blood staining my fingers and before I could run my tongue along the digits, the demon abruptly eliminated the remaining distance between us. He grabbed me by the waist, pulling me in till my body was pressed against his.

I let out a sharp gasp when his forehead rested against mine, his enticing lips mere centimeters away.

"You owe me something," he whispered, moving closer and allowing his upper lip to brush against my parted mouth.

I was confused by his statement at first, but understood quickly due to his 'invasive' actions.

Before he could close the gap between our lips, I moved away and instead, dipped my head in the crook of his neck, much to his surprise.

My stained fingers crawled up his chest and stopped at the collar of his dress shirt. Pulling his collar down and loosening his tie, I could see more of his flawless skin, the warmth from his neck meeting against my nose.

"Oh, I do? Hmm…I wonder what it is…" I said, using this small opportunity to play with him.

Inhaling his heavy scent deep into my system like a drug, I dared to dart my tongue out, letting it graze up his smooth and slender neck until I met his jaw bone, where I opted to leave behind kisses that lasted for barely a second. Feeling vibrations under my lips from a low growl that escaped him, I couldn't help but smile in pride. How I enjoyed taking the upper hand, even if it barely lasted.

As expected, my turn in toying with him died down immediately. Wasting no time, his ungloved hand slithered into my wavy tresses. He then grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulled, making me lean my head back to him.

I winced a bit by his harsh action but the stinging pain was forgotten when he slammed his lips against mine, hungrily claiming my mouth like he had wanted. The kiss almost seemed like he was mad, for it was rough and bruised my lips in an instant. Just when he was about to part my lips, he heard a muffled laugh coming from me and he broke away, sending me a curious and irritated look.

"What are you laughing about?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. His bangs fell over his left eye, but I could still see his irises gleaming with desire. His lustful state made him all the more appealing and unlocked my intense craving for him. What this devil of a man was doing to me was insane, _ridiculous_. But right now, I didn't care.

"You bit my lip, you jerk. That hurt," I replied to him with a fake pout.

Sebastian blinked once before smirking and chuckling in a low, malicious tone. "You'll get over it," he shot back and leaned down, capturing my lips again.

He bit my lower lip once more, _hard_, like before just to spite me. But this time, I was ready for it and a soft, breathy gasp escaped me from the enjoyable pain that shot through my lip. I could feel his mouth curling into a smile before his tongue entered my parted lips. The lithe, wet muscle rubbed against the walls of my mouth, leaving behind tantalizing sensations that had me begging for more. My left hand went to grab the back of his neck whereas the other slipped into his raven black hair, keeping his head in place.

He could still taste the remnants of his own blood in my mouth, but it didn't deter him. Just to have me yearning for more, he playfully allowed his tongue to graze against my sharp fangs, cutting himself and spilling more of the delicious red droplets.

A muffled moan came from me at tasting the dark and spicy taste of his blood again. I broke away from him for a split second, an audible wet pop sounded from our parted lips. He took this brief pause to push me back against the crates behind us, my back meeting the hard surface of wood. He hovered over me and I leaned up, latching my mouth back with his again.

My tongue took the lead this time and darted into his mouth, finally letting me explore him as much as I pleased. Just when I thought I could go further, however, the tables turned on me once again, and he closed his lips, trapping me as he began massaging and sucking on my tongue, earning more sounds of pleasure to escape me.

My hands wandered over his body, lingering over his chest and fighting the urge to rid him of his vest, tie, shirt, _everything_. I wanted to feel him, truly feel every part of his body, but his damn clothes prevented me from doing so. I attempted to undo some of the buttons of his vest but surprisingly, he stopped me, his hand clutching mine and squeezing my fingers.

He felt my lips grow frigid at his action and that was when he finally pulled away. He gazed at me with a satisfied smirk, loving that his intense kisses left my lips reddened and plumper than before. My pouting just tempted him further. He wanted more, and he knew I did too. But at the same time, we both knew it had to end.

His irises shone a brighter red and he cupped my face in his hand before drawing close to my ear. "I'll admit; you've got me feeling jealous, Janelle," he stated in a low tone.

My eyes widened a little and he moved back. "You're referring to my friend, aren't you?"

He had no readable emotion on his face. "You care so deeply about her, it slightly angers me."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "There's no need to feel that way, Sebastian. You know that I care a lot about you too."

He frowned, not fully pleased with that answer. He then sighed and guided me away from the crates before holding me close in his arms in the next second. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my cheek on his shoulder while he leaned the side of his face on my head.

"Then you should know that I don't particularly like sharing," he replied back in a stern tone.

I held back my urge to laugh again with a broad smile. I closed my eyes, enjoying the immense body heat from him enveloping my body.

"Don't worry, Sebastian. Who do you think I'm going to be bothering longer?" I stated, my hands running along his back.

Hearing a deep chuckle breaking from him, I knew that I had managed to lighten his mood a little.

Meanwhile, Sebastian froze, glancing down at the contract symbol on his left hand. It glowed slightly and sent a tingly sensation down his arm.

His master needed him.

* * *

-Ciel-

I hated this. I hated everything about this circus and I hated having to live in an environment below my stature. It was utterly humiliating; and what had just happened had made it all worse.

I couldn't move at the moment, after having run as fast and far away as I could from my overly cheerful tent mate. Sitting here behind one of the covered carriages like a pathetic fool, wet and freezing in this cursed winter, I just didn't want anyone to see or come near me.

Yet as that thought had crossed my mind, something soft and warm draped over my body and I flinched, lifting my head from my knees.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes, master," the familiar, deep voice that belonged to my butler entered my ears.

Wrapping the towel that he had given me around my body, I looked up and glared at the smug look on Sebastian's face.

The demon butler sighed lightly. "Well, it seems I'll have to fetch you a fresh change of clothes. Excuse me for one moment, master. Janelle, look after him."

I shivered, holding the towel tighter against me as a breeze blew past me and another presence kneeled before me.

"My lord, may I ask what happened to you?" A feminine voice inquired and I recognized it to be Janelle.

I froze though, not from her presence, but because of the hand touching my knee. My visible eye widened and I hesitantly looked up into her ocean blue orbs. Unlike Sebastian, her gaze held no teasing, no hidden evil, and no fire that I could see. Instead, there was water, warmth, and a lingering hint of sadness in hers.

Strangely enough, the concern and warmth in her eyes did not match the feel of her hand on my knee. Her skin was pale and cold like marble. No, her icy touch reminded me of that cursed water that had soaked me. It reminded me of how I had fallen to the ground, and then…

My expression darkened and I felt anger rise inside me. I hated how she felt. I didn't need concern or pity from a woman, and certainly not from this _vampire_.

Without holding back, I slipped a hand from under the towel slapped her arm away from me, my glare now meeting her look of surprise. "Don't touch me," I ordered and buried myself back under the towel.

"Must you be so harsh, my lord? She was only worried about you," Sebastian entered the scene again, the new clothes he fetched hanging from his arms.

I growled and yelled, "I've had enough of this place! I'll lose my mind if I continue living like this!"

My butler sighed again. "You'll feel you'll lose your mind? Master, are you so weak to surrender this quickly? Because, the master I know…" His tone grew darker and out of nowhere, flashbacks of my cursed past ran through my mind. "…would never surrender so easily."

I stop shivering for once. "The master you know, huh? Hmph, then you know well that I, the head of the Phantomhive family, should not be living like this."

I finally stood up, removing the towel and stepping towards Sebastian. "Let's end this investigation quickly."

A light chuckle suddenly broke the tension and I turned to the side to see that Janelle was biting into her knuckles like she was holding back laughter.

I narrowed my eye. "Do you have something to say, Janelle? Spit it out."

She removed her hand and beamed at me, a hint of playfulness set in her eyes. "Young Master, it truly makes me sad to see you so upset. Are you sure you won't be in need of a hug?" she asked gently and then opened her arms.

Sebastian snickered and I froze for a moment before my cheeks grew warm. "Did you not hear me before? I said, don't touch me! So don't even think about it! Sebastian!" I turned to my butler, expecting him to shoo her away.

Before the demon could make a move however, Janelle was already walking away. "If you ever change your mind, my lord, I'll be right there!" she called before she disappeared out of our sight.

I watched her go and shook my head, a tint of pink still lingering on my face.

"How noble of you, my lord. You refuse to embrace another woman in order to uphold your true feelings towards Lady Elizabeth. How admirable indeed," Sebastian said, only adding more coal to the fire.

"That is _not _the case at all!" I snapped, my body temperature rising and eliminating the cold I had felt earlier.

Sebastian merely chuckled before placing a hand over his chest. "Whatever you say, my lord."


	30. Unexpected

**Yessss. 30 chapters, it's about damn time! Usually, I'd be ending a story by now but no, I've still got quite a few more to go for this one. **

**Much gratitude to the continuous support from _NonieBee_, _Safire Lupe_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _KHRLover1997_, and _VampireSiren _on the previous chapter. Reading your thoughts amuses me greatly; feed me more if you wish. *salivates***

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

-Janelle-

Another show was taking place that night, so naturally, the rest of the day leading to the evening hours was full of hustling and bustling around. With the first-tier members mainly getting everyone rehearsed and in order, several of the performers set to be in the spotlight scurried about, making sure their costumes were complete and the necessary equipment they needed was available.

"The show is about to begin, everyone! Please hurry!" Joker announced to the busy crowd of performers.

"Ah! Oh no! Has anyone seen my headdress?" a young girl frantically asked.

"Here you are, miss," I heard Sebastian reply to her and I looked up from my current task to see him handing the last addition to the girl's outfit with his polite grin intact.

"'Scuse me! We ain't got enough knives over here! Are there any spares left?" Dagger shouted in the air.

"I've got them!" Ciel replied to his request and I saw him running over to assist the first-tier member.

While my sights were concentrated on the Earl and his butler, who were a good distance away from where I stood, a stinging sensation suddenly met the back of my hand. My head snapped to the culprit, breaking out of my dazed state.

"Hey! Would ya mind _not _gettin' distracted?! You're messing up my makeup here!" the young woman, who had asked for my help while she was getting dressed, snapped impatiently. Seeing that her hand was still in mid-air, I realized that she had slapped me.

I gave a guilty smile. "Sorry about that." I hurriedly regained focus and wiped off the ugly, black streaks I had accidentally made on her face.

After a few concentrated minutes and a trembling hand later, I stepped away from her, makeup tools still in hand as I inspected my work.

"What do you think? Does it look okay? I'm not too good with this, but I tried my best…"

The woman was tying up her boots at high speed and after finishing, she snatched the hand mirror from me. While examining her face, she narrowed her eyes a bit, making me think I had done terrible, but surprisingly, she nodded her head in approval and tossed the mirror back at my face. I gasped, quickly clutching it in a vice grip before it would drop and earn me 'seven years of bad luck'.

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks for helping me; I gotta run!" she stated, giving me a quick pat on the shoulder before heading off to her waiting friends.

I sighed in relief, the sense of calm immediately vanishing though as I looked over the groups of performers waiting for the show to begin.

With a glazed look in my eyes, my vision floated above various people's heads. Everything, everyone seemed so colorful, spirited, joyous, and then…

Then it happened again.

My fingers clenched tighter over the mirror I was still holding, a cracking sound coming after. A sharp pain punctured my middle and ring finger and soon, I was feeling something wet and cold, but I didn't care right then. All the muscles in my body grew stiff and my blank gaze focused on one person. My face showed no apparent emotions; they were all caged inside.

My ex was present, leaning against some stacked boxes in a far off corner of the expansive tent. His arms were crossed and, of course, he was already staring right at me. Even from afar, I could see the glint of red flashing in his eyes. His lips cracked into that malicious grin on his face and as casually as he stood, he brought a hand to his mouth. With a smug wink, he blew me a kiss, waving at me like he was still mine. He thought he was so damn cool; it made me want to violently puke up the useless organs inside me.

Finally, I blinked and my eyebrows furrowed into an angered expression, hoping my cold stare would prevent him from coming near me. Yet with that one blink, he had suddenly disappeared from my view. I swallowed hard, guessing what would come next and soon enough, his alien touch enveloped me. His slender arms snaked around me from behind, one hand resting on my waist whereas the other slithered down my collarbone and latched onto my breast.

"Hmm…so divine…You should know that my patience is wearing thin; I need you _now_," Percival murmured into my ear. He pressed my back closer against his body and whispered, "Tell me, Janelle, when was the last time you and I _made love_?"

His hand squeezed my right breast painfully hard, and the desperate urge to vomit grew stronger. I could feel something crawling up my esophagus, and tasting it in the back of my throat, I found it to be blood.

He _dared _to ask that question? He should have asked when the last time he _raped _me was. Recalling it now, I could still remember every detail of it. I had not screamed, but I should have. Because back then, I thought I still loved him.

_He pushed me down to the ground, forcing his whole body weight on me so that I couldn't move. My head collided with the hard concrete on the ground and his cold, iron grasp around my neck caused my vision to become blurry._

_The bite wound he inflicted on me hurt so badly, his harsh hold causing more blood to squeeze out from the holes. This wasn't him. This wasn't the Percival I knew, the one I _thought _I knew._

_He was hurting me. All he ever does was hurt me, hurt me, and hurt me again._

That was all he ever wanted from me.

Percival spun my body around so that I was forced to face him. My gaze accidentally met his and he grinned, revealing his sharp fangs to me. His hand then pried my right off the cracked mirror in my grasp, holding it in front of his face. The blood that had spilled from the cuts I got from the sharp edge of the mirror had dried slightly, forming sticky red trails on my skin.

He laced his fingers with mine before placing the two stained fingers into his mouth. I whimpered in disgust when I felt his tongue rubbing against them, licking them clean. He locked his gaze on me and I shut my eyes, trying to block out the feel of _him_ on me. He knew that with the people nearby, I wouldn't dare cause a scene. He wanted to have his way with me, if only for a brief moment.

After all traces of the delicious liquid had been removed, he slowly pulled my fingers out of his mouth, making suggestive, sucking noises as he did so. I still had my eyes shut, and they shut more tightly when I heard those repulsing sounds from him.

He moaned in delight, licking his lips before speaking. "Still love your taste, Janelle…but…" He leaned closer, his cold breath hitting my quivering mouth. "I love _hers_ more…"

Her? Who was this _her_? Was he talking about Carlene? Someone from his morbid parade of victimized girls? A part of me didn't want to know, but at the same time, curiosity was kidnapping my mind.

His rough fingers then grazed under my chin and I heard him let out a quiet hiss. I mustered up the courage to open my eyes; seeing that he was puncturing his index finger against one of his fangs. Letting his tongue flick over his teeth, he made sure I couldn't move away, his hand gripping the back of my head by my hair. He then smeared his own blood on my lips, coloring them red.

"You look better this way if you'd put some fucking effort into it. Isn't that what a good bitch does?" he spat, roughly making sure his blood was sticking to my lips.

I growled, my teeth clenching in rising anger. I jerked my head forward, nearly biting his finger off, but of course, he withdrew in a second.

He then stepped fully away from me, winking again. "Janelle, you might as well live up that title. Once a whore, always a whore. You will always be nothing more than that."

With those words being his last, he turned and walked away. As if he hadn't been there at all, he was soon nowhere to be found, leaving those cursed words to rot in my mind.

Glancing down at the cracked mirror, the patches of red from his blood still marred my lips. I glared, my eyes tearing in rage and furiously wiped his drying blood off my mouth, not even bothering to lick it off like I usually would. His blood was transferred onto the back of my hand and I rubbed it away, not wanting any trace of him on me.

As soon as I had my angered breathing in control, my eyes wandered over the makeup supplies, the last of his words still echoing in my head. A flood of despair drowned me the more I thought about what he said. Images of elegant women I had seen, walking the streets with their husbands beside them, flowed through my mind, all flawless and beautiful with perfect makeup on their faces.

"Seven minutes, everyone, seven minutes!" Joker hollered again.

"Hey Joker! I need to tell you something!"

At hearing the second voice, I looked up to see Beast marching over to the host, murmuring something I didn't bother listening to. Instead, I observed the two, watching Joker grinning and laughing like he always did at one of his playful remarks. An angry blush appeared on the animal tamer's cheeks in the next moment and her sharp tone rose in volume, only seeming to amuse the host further.

I tore my gaze away from them. Looking down over the table beside me, my eyes lingered on the small amounts of red paint from a black box comprised of various other colors.

I didn't stop my hand from reaching out towards the open box. I dipped my index finger into the red paint, feeling the cool substance coat the digit. Raising it to my lips, I spread it over the smooth flesh, like _he_ had done.

_Happy now? Did I ever make you happy? No. All I do is make myself feel worse. I'm messed up, messed up like you._

"What are you doing?"

I flinched slightly and froze, not expecting him to sneak up on me. Pulling my finger away, I noticed that most of the red paint was now gone. I didn't bother looking in the mirror and I never wanted to. There was no beauty, just shame.

"Are you listening?" His gloved hand rested on my shoulder, but I unintentionally moved away from his contact.

Stepping forward a few steps, I didn't turn around to the demon butler standing behind me. With his footsteps getting louder and his body drawing closer, I felt the shame eating at me.

Like Percival, he turned me around to face him, but my gaze was concentrated on the ground. I twitched again when I heard him sighing at me.

"Honestly, Janelle…" Sebastian trailed off when he lifted my chin between his fingers.

My solemn gaze met his and sensing my mood, his own faltered slightly. Damn, I needed to stop letting my ex get me down. He wasn't here for now, and there was nothing serious for me to get upset over. My stupid insecurity was getting in the way again.

So I shook out of it, pushing everything in the darkest depths of my mind.

I let out a bitter laugh and smiled. "Do I look foolish, Sebastian?"

He raised an eyebrow at my question until his eyes fell on my painted lips. Then his expression changed to one that seemed more amused. A smirk spread on his face, but his eyes held something I couldn't figure out.

Watching his gaze scan over my face, he simply answered, "You look…different."

His gloved fingers than reached up to my lips and without hesitating, he began rubbing the red paint off me. His strokes were gentle, and a chuckle broke from him when he saw that the paint was beginning to smear badly, causing a bigger mess.

"And now you look like a clown. How perfect," he commented with his close-eyed grin.

Despite not having cleared off the paint completely, he leaned down over me and connected his soft lips to mine.

His lips were delicate and moved slowly, in contrast to his 'harsher' moves hours before. Feeling me press my mouth harder against his for more, his smug smile formed and he pulled back, leaving my lips warm and tingling from his simple, intimate touch.

I frowned a bit, but then noticed some red smudges on the corner of his mouth. Finally, I laughed and his smile grew wider, his eyes flashing with amusement.

"Oh dear…" My fingers reached up, using my thumb to carefully remove the paint off his lips. "You got some of it on you."

The underlying humor disappeared from his expression then, and I mumbled an apology, thinking he was mad about the paint. All the while, I made sure that none of the emotions I kept inside were shown.

Unknown to me, he had recognized the all too familiar scent lingering in the air around me, traces of it clinging to parts of my body. Sebastian knew I was hiding my encounter with _him_ again, but this time, he let it go. However, it didn't mean he was pleased in the slightest.

My hand stayed on the side of his face when I was done, his black bangs brushing and tickling the back of my hand. I gave a small smile and then dropped my hand down to his shoulder before letting it fall completely to my side.

Sebastian watched me rubbing the rest of the red substance off my mouth with my palm, though it had now left a temporary after-stain on my lips, making them appear rosier. Choosing to break the sudden uncomfortable silence, he spoke up again.

"You know, that frown on your face may remain permanent if you keep doing so. Now how awful would that be?" The butler attempted to lighten the mood. He placed his gloved hand on top of my head, allowing his fingers to tangle within the wavy locks.

I let out a heavy sigh and leaned into him, resting my forehead on his chest. "With you here, it doesn't matter. You always manage to cheer me up, even if you don't mean to."

He lightly massaged my scalp, his soothing touches eliminating all ill thoughts. "Don't say such silly things, Janelle."

Feeling me burrowing my head against his chest, he went to move his arm around me, but stopped when his master's voice entered the scene.

"Sebastian!" Ciel shouted, catching our immediate attention.

I sighed again, not wanting to pull away from the butler just yet. But feeling him releasing his hand from my hair, I reluctantly separated myself from his comforting presence.

Sebastian stepped forward, nearing the panting Earl. "What is it, my lord?"

"He's gone! The tent is empty!" he told his butler, grasping onto the front of his uniform. "We won't know when we'll have another chance! We have to go investigate right now!"

The butler's eyes widened at the sudden news until it dawned on him in the next second and then he nodded his head. "Understood, my lord. Let us go."

The two immediately began running outside of the premises and I chose to follow them this time, curious of where they were headed.

Once they were outside, however, another familiar voice stopped them, calling out Sebastian's stage name.

The three of us turned around to see Joker, with one of the first-tier members, Wendy, on his back and Peter by his side. I recognized these two to be the trapeze experts in the circus performance.

"I have some bad news. Poor Wendy here twisted her ankle and is unable to appear in the show tonight. Black, I believe you're the best candidate, so if you would, please take her place," Joker requested. Wendy was wiping tears from her eyes and it was hard not to feel bad for the young girl.

Ciel growled lowly at this untimely interruption, but Joker didn't notice.

"I know the show will be fine if you do it, Black. Your act will come up pretty soon, so please get ready!" Joker informed him and then headed off to the infirmary with Wendy and Peter.

Sebastian turned to the young Earl. "This is unfortunate, master. It seems we will have to wait for another chance."

Ciel placed his fist to his mouth in thought. "No, not quite. We can still make this work."

I stepped forward, taking this moment to speak up. "If I may interrupt, my lord, but I'm willing to help you in Sebastian's place with whatever it is you need to investigate."

The Earl and butler turned to see me still standing behind them. Ciel paused for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Perhaps so, but I'll still need to have Sebastian get rid of those venomous snakes that are constantly on guard in the area…"

Ciel looked up at the schedule mounted on the outside of the tent. "According to the program, Sebastian's debut will end at 7:50 and his encore will follow at 8:00."

The Young Master took out his pocket watch and continued with his instructions. "I'll need you to catch all of the snakes in five minutes before you appear in the show. After your debut ends at 7:50, head to the back, release the snakes, and then return for the encore."

"Certainly, my lord," Sebastian replied and the three of us continued onwards.

Just as Ciel had ordered, the demon butler was able to capture all of the snakes surrounding the vicinity. I was shocked at how many there actually were, as Sebastian was able to fill an entire, medium-sized box with the snakes tied up into a knot.

"Is that all of them?" Ciel asked, a slight look of disgust crossing his face at the reptiles.

Without his master noticing, Sebastian sent me a knowing look, his smirk appearing on his face. "I'm afraid not, sir."

Ciel frowned. "Well, don't just stand there. Go out and-"

The young Earl was cut off when he heard me clearing my throat and he looked up to see that I had the last three snakes in my hands, knotted like Sebastian had done.

I involuntarily hissed in pain, wincing as I stared down at a small, but lethal bite wound on my wrist. Though the wound was closing up, the burning sensation from the toxin was still active and was spreading at a slow pace.

"Their venom truly is potent…I can see why a human could die so easily…" I muttered, clenching my fist and noticing my fingers were shaking.

Taking the snakes out of my grasp and tossing them in the box, Sebastian turned back to me, holding my wrist in his hands for inspection. He narrowed his eyes, hearing me let out quiet sounds of pain when he made contact with the sensitive area around the injury.

"This is terrible, Janelle, even for a vampire like you. The poison may slow you down, despite your healing abilities…" He sighed, shaking his head at me while he gently rubbed my wrist. "You should have let me handle it alone."

I grimaced a bit. "I was careless…but I wanted to help…"

Ciel abruptly cut in, stepping in between us. "We don't have time to waste, you two, as I have said before. Sebastian, you need to get to the show or they'll become suspicious if you're late. Janelle, you can come with me."

I nodded, shaking off the dizziness that affected me slightly and followed Ciel's lead while Sebastian began heading the opposite direction.

…

"Are you all right?" Ciel asked me while we walked in the silence, the commotion from the show resonating in the still atmosphere from time to time.

I smiled at his words. Though he did not turn around, it was rather courteous of him to wonder of my well-being; even if he didn't want to outright show his concern.

"Yes, milord, I'm quite all right," I replied and he nodded, his face stern and focused on the path ahead.

As we continued sneaking along various tents, I heard a soft wheezing sound and noticed Ciel covering his mouth with his hand, the other clutching his heaving chest tightly. I knotted my eyebrows in worry, sensing something wrong.

"Young Master, are you okay? You look a bit…pale, if I may say so," I said quietly, hoping that I was just hearing things.

Ciel scoffed and moved his scarf up higher on his neck. "You're one to talk…"

I sighed and continued pressing the matter. "I'm serious, my lord. If you're tired, you shouldn't push yourself."

Ciel merely waved me off, stifling a weaker cough with his scarf. "I'll be fine, Janelle. Besides, I can't rest with this one opportunity on my hands."

I nodded, though uncertainty still remained on my mind. I couldn't argue with him; all I could do now was to make sure he was safe.

Ciel finally stopped in front of one of the first-tier members' private tents. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was following us before entering the tent with the Earl.

"There's something eerie here…I can feel it…" I heard Ciel muttering aloud.

I had to agree with him. Although everything seemed perfectly normal and cheery on the outside, there was always a darker side, and at that moment, the Earl was just starting to uncover the mysterious secrets the first-tier members were hiding.

"Janelle, I want you stay silent and keep watch for anyone who may sneak up on us. Leave everything else to me," Ciel ordered, walking in front of me.

"I understand," I whispered, though I was basically already doing the job. Nevertheless, I remained on high alert, ignoring the sudden but faint ache in my head.

Staying relatively close yet giving him enough space to freely move around, Ciel spotted a picture frame set on a nearby trunk.

He bent down, picking up the picture and studied it closely. I took a glance as well and recognized that the people in the photograph looked like the first-tier members, except they were much younger and wore clothes that deemed typical for abandoned orphans.

"Who is this?" Ciel questioned, pointing to a particular middle-aged man with spectacles and a warm smile on his face. The man had his arms around a young, unhappy-looking Joker as he stood in the middle of the other first-tier members.

"Hmm…I don't recall ever seeing that man around here so far…" I offered quietly, crossing my arms.

He nodded during his contemplation. "I think I have a good idea of who this man is though…" Ciel set down the picture and motioned for me to follow him. "Let's go to the next tent."

Sneaking our way out and hopping to the adjacent shelter, the room we were in was much more decorated and feminine compared to the last. I looked to the side and seeing the familiar, risqué outfits hanging on a line, I could only think of one person this tent belonged to-_Beast_.

If those clothes weren't enough evidence, the leopard-skin blanket that covered the small bed in the center of the room was a complete giveaway.

"As I thought, the man is in this photo as well…" Ciel declared, having rummaged through Beast's dresser and finding another picture.

I stared off to the entrance of the tent, an uneasy chill shooting through my body. I clenched my right arm tightly in apprehension.

I hoped that woman wouldn't be coming in here.

* * *

-Sebastian-

It was taking more effort than I thought in holding back my strong urge to use that infernal scythe of his to decapitate and silence him once and for all.

_Again_, I was stuck into a situation with the damned reaper, both of us having to fill in for the two trapeze performers. If one had thought the reaper would be any less stubborn swinging in the air, that person would have to think again. If anything, his infuriating attitude was _worse_.

"What are you doing?" I questioned impatiently, hanging upside down on the trapeze with the reaper hanging across from me.

"You'll have to excuse me, but I _refuse_ to touch hands or have any such contact with vile vermin like you. I won't stand for it," William stated with a stern but nonchalant expression, fixing his rectangular spectacles on his nose.

"I'm afraid you will have to reconsider. We have a show to fulfill and the more you resist me, the longer we'll be up here!" I tried to reason with him. I swung towards him once more, and similar to my efforts before, the reaper swung backwards, keeping a far distance between us at all costs.

My eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, and I glanced at the surrounding audience, able to pick up on their sounds of disapproval and confusion at how long this performance was stalling.

_The crowd is obviously becoming restless…_

"WAH! No lookin' y'all! Turn away!"

That particular voice interrupted my focus and I recognized it to be Dagger.

"It's all right! No need to panic!"

"There's still some time left before the encore, so you should go and change clothes quickly!"

My eyes widened at what I was hearing and I turned my head, immediately spotting the first-tier members talking amongst themselves in the large aisle between the separated audiences.

"I guess I gotta go then," Beast agreed and I watched her leaving the tent.

This wasn't good; the Young Master and Janelle were still investigating the private tents. I had to end this quickly and get to them before she did!

I returned my attention to the reaper, not standing for his stubbornness any longer.

"Please cooperate and hold out your hands!" I demanded, moving closer and reaching for him once again.

The reaper glared at me and I could see his hand adjusting his hold on the death scythe. "Haven't I told you…"

I gritted my teeth, readying myself for what I knew he would do. His death scythe elongated, stabbing towards my head as I bent backwards and dodged his abrasive strike.

"…_I refuse_!"

My eyes then focused on his cursed weapon and an idea quickly formed in my mind. I smirked, positive that he wasn't going to be able to escape me this time.

"Is that how you want to play it? Seeing as how you are so against touching me, I suppose _this _will have to do!" I immediately grabbed onto his scythe, before it retracted, and reeled him in with as much force as possible. "This is a better accommodation, is it not?" I declared and continued pulling him downwards.

The crowd exclaimed in both excitement and surprise at the unusual turn of events. A mocking expression crossed my face towards the vulnerable reaper, who was holding onto his weapon for dear life. How I_ enjoyed_ taking things into my own hands. He was completely under my control now.

William attempted to steady himself after having been dragged off the opposite trapeze. His flailing arm grasped onto the scythe and in an instant, the clicking of his weapon signaled it was returning to its original form.

"Release the death scythe at once!" William demanded with a scowl.

I snickered and continued pulling him in my direction. "I cannot do that!" I shouted and used more force for the next move.

I bent backwards once I had him below me and with all my might, managed to throw him towards the platform I had come from in the beginning. Only then did I let go of his scythe.

From there, the both of us flipped in midair, sailing towards the opposite platforms and landing safely despite the apparent 'danger' of the last minute stunt.

The audience immediately roared in enthusiastic applause, clapping and shouts of awe filling our surroundings.

I brushed off my coat and stood straight, mustering up a triumphant grin as I waved to the crowd, whereas the reaper opposite me appeared nonchalant, merely fixing his glasses like he always did.

"Wow! Would ya look at that? Ladies and gentlemen, once again, you have just seen the amazing trapeze act executed by Black and Suit!" Joker appeared on stage, raising an arm in the air towards us.

As the host continued on with his introductions to the next act, I wasted no time and climbed down the platform, heading backstage immediately. Making sure to remain unspotted by either of the first-tier members and the incorrigible reaper, I sped out towards where my master resided.

…

The animal tamer was only a few feet away from her designated tent. Sensing the familiar presence of both my master and Janelle, I moved ahead undetected.

"Someone's outside… My lord, you have to hide!" I was able to hear the hushed warning from Janelle once I had landed right in front of the entrance.

I couldn't help but want to laugh at her lagging senses. But focusing on the situation at hand, I dashed into the tent before my master could respond to her and approached the female vampire from behind.

Wanting to give her a good scare, I roughly took her into my arms, my left hand clasped over her mouth just as she had let out a frightened squeal, whereas my right arm wrapped around her torso.

"Shh…get under the bed, you silly girl," I whispered into her ear, relishing how she shivered in my grasp.

"Seba-" The Earl was cut off immediately once I released Janelle in the next second and grabbed him into my arms.

"Forgive me, master," I muttered, my eyes focused on the open chest in front of him.

In a flash, the Young Master and I crammed our bodies into the chest, and just before I closed the lid, I caught sight of Janelle's foot disappearing under the bed.

Though it was now pitch black, I could tell my master's mood was growing worse, his tiny body pressed close against mine in a highly uncomfortable position. His scowl was apparent to me, whereas a teasing smirk appeared on my lips.

Hearing the tamer finally enter the tent, my master held his breath. She was approaching the chest and my hand searched within the miniscule space, clutching the clothing she needed.

"Aww…I liked this one..." I heard her muttering to herself.

As discreetly as possible, I opened the chest just enough to slip another black top for her through the small crack before closing the chest in the next second.

She seemed to have noticed, seeing that she pulled the rest of the top into her grasp without having to expose us hiding inside the dresser. A few rustling noises later, her footsteps grew fainter and the flap of the tent was heard for the second time. All was silent as she had finally left.

I lifted the lid slightly to make sure she was gone and then opened the dresser completely.

"I seemed to have made it just in time…" I stated, letting out a soft exhale.

I turned my attention to my master, who was blushing as red as a ripe tomato. I chuckled at his flustered form and climbed out of the dresser, lifting him out as well.

"Master, did you see something you shouldn't have at such a young age?" I teased him immediately, knowing that there had been a _top-less_ grown woman in this room mere moments ago.

Ciel growled in frustration and he yanked one of her fishnet stockings off his head, the blood beginning to disperse from his cheeks. "Just shut up!"

I merely rolled my eyes at his attitude. My gaze then cast to the bed and I smiled. "Janelle, you may come out now."

I heard light movement from underneath and saw her hand poking out before I was able to see strands of her long hair next.

"Thank goodness! It's so dusty down here; I'd be sneezing like mad if I were still human!" she announced and continued crawling out, coughing to emphasize her point.

I bent over, lending her both my hands. Once she had managed to pull her legs out, her cold fingers encased mine. I frowned at her once she stood, brushing clumps of fiber from her hair.

"Yes, Janelle, and if you had made a single sound, we would have been spotted in an instant. Had it not been me outside at that moment, you two would have been doomed," I stated, crossing my arms.

She rubbed the back of her head nervously, a hint of pink appearing on her cheeks from embarrassment. "Oh come now, Sebastian, I knew it was you."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, not believing her.

"Y-Yes! All right, I admit the snake venom may have dulled my senses like you said, but if it _had_ been Beast, I would have reacted faster!" she defended, staring me right in the eyes.

Ciel rolled his eye behind us and he pushed in between us for the second time. "Sebastian, come and take a look at this photograph," he commanded.

I stood by his side and leaned forward, holding my chin as I closely inspected the picture.

"Do you see anything of interest?" my master questioned me.

"Yes…this hallmark on the man's signet ring…I've seen it before," I answered him, pointing to the middle-aged man's little finger.

"You are able to see something this small?" Ciel asked in disbelief, the hallmark too microscopic for the human eye to notice.

"Indeed I can, master. And I am quite certain that this hallmark…" I paused briefly, thinking back to when I last saw it. "…is the same as the hallmark I saw on Miss Beast's prosthetic leg."

The young lord nodded in understanding. "I see…This man is definitely of importance then."

I retrieved my pocket watch, checking the time. "Master, the encore is about to begin. I don't believe you can do anything more."

"No, Sebastian, there is still time," Ciel stated, glancing at his own watch. "Although there is only eight minutes left, I can still investigate Joker's tent within that time."

He turned to me with a determined expression. "You do recall my instructions from before, correct? Follow through with the rest of my plans. I shall finish everything else on my own."

"On your own? Young Master, are you sure it's safe to go alone?" Janelle asked suddenly and she stepped forward, standing by my side.

I could see the concern written on her face, and in her eyes, I sensed there was something she knew and it troubled her deeply. I hadn't the faintest clue of what she was so worried about, however.

Ciel halted in his steps and looked over his shoulder, the determination not disappearing from his visible eye. "As I said before, Janelle, I'll be fine. I want you to leave this area for now and refrain from causing any type of ruckus that could cause suspicion. Understand?"

She nodded, though her worry only heightened further.

"Go now, you two. I'll be back soon," Ciel ordered and then quickly left the tent.

Once we were alone, I turned to her. She was biting her lip, her hand grasping tightly onto her arm.

"Janelle, I know there is something troubling you. Care to tell me what it is before I have to leave?" I asked her quietly, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She reached up, intertwining her fingers with mine before looking into my eyes. "Did you not notice, Sebastian? You are his butler after all."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Notice what?"

She sighed and turned to me fully, her hand still clutching mine. "I have an inkling feeling that the master's health may be a little…weaker. I noticed him experiencing some slight symptoms…and I can't help but feel they are quite similar to what I witnessed with a friend I once knew when I was still human."

I held my chin in thought. "Hmm, is that so? I'm sure he can handle himself though. He doesn't seem to be as weak as you seem to fear."

She let go of my hand, waving it off. "Yes, I know. Perhaps we women tend to overreact…" Her voice trailed off and she clasped her hands behind her, stepping in front of me.

With her back facing me, I checked the time once again. "I'm afraid I must return for the show now. You should retire to your tent, Janelle. It is safer there," I suggested, stowing my pocket watch away.

"Okay…" she agreed quietly and I swept past her, making my way towards the exit.

Just as I was about to leave, I felt her hand grasping my arm to stop. I looked over my shoulder curiously before turning back around to her. "What is it, Janelle? I have to hurry now."

"Shhh…" she hushed me, much like how I had done to her before. Unexpectedly, she took hold of my tie and gently reeled me in until my face was close to hers.

My eyes widened, but being this near to her, a smirk immediately spread on my face. She gazed into my eyes briefly before she brushed aside the locks of hair on my right side. In the next moment, I felt her tender lips against my cheek for a mere second and then she let me go.

Stepping away, she blushed lightly and cleared her throat. "Are you going to make it 'one hell of an encore', Sebastian?" she stated in a stern tone, though I knew she was just toying with me.

I chuckled lowly, feeling a slight rise to my ego. "As the Phantomhive butler, how could I not? And with you being so _forward_ like that all of a sudden, I'll be making the audience roaring for more."

She grinned and then simply replied, "You better."

* * *

-Janelle-

I gasped in pain when I collided against a crate on my way back to tent fifteen. I leaned against the wooden box, placing my arm against it and resting my throbbing head. It was taking a while to self-neutralize the powerful toxin that had managed to spread in the upper extremities of my body, despite how I _apparently_ was capable of 'Hyper-healing'. Sometimes I wondered if that vile woman had merely lied to me for her cruel entertainment. I wouldn't be surprised if she had.

Shaking off the dizziness, I got back on my feet, grasping my forehead to make sure I wasn't going to stumble again and then continued onwards.

Once I spotted the familiar tent, I sniffed the air and noticed Eva's scent was strong, which meant she had finished her work and had come back. I smiled, eager to speak with her again.

Approaching the entrance, I pushed the tent flap aside and immediately greeted her.

"Is it morning already? It's good to see that it's so _Sunn_-"

I stopped midsentence, all sense of attempted humor washed away when I saw what was in front of me, or rather, what was on_ the ground_. A feeling of dread rushed through my body, but I wasn't frozen.

Instead, I rushed to the blonde girl, who was lying unconscious in a sprawled position on the ground, like she had been thrown.

"Eva? Eva!" I exclaimed, shaking her shoulders. Worry creased my forehead when she didn't respond right away.

I then quickly checked her pulse on her wrist, a sense of relief flooding me when I found that her pulse was still relatively fine, though slower than usual. I scanned her body quickly, checking for prominent injuries until my hand grazed over her bony arms, noticing that there were finger-print bruises on her skin. The purple bruises were a lot similar to the ones I had attained on my neck, and I saw that there was a considerably larger one on her left eye.

Putting two and two together, my blood ran colder and my fingers trembled before clenching into a hard fist. I clenched my teeth, holding back my sudden urge to scream in anger.

I knew who had done this to her, _I just knew it_. Though Eva's scent was stronger, I could still smell remnants of the bastard who dared lay a finger on her, haunting the stagnant air above us.

"Eva…please wake up," I said, holding back my anger with concern. I gently grazed my fingers on her cheek, feeling her bruise that was beginning to swell around her eye.

I heard her whimpering in pain and I gasped, lifting her head up with my right arm and holding her close against me as I rested on my knees.

"Can you hear me?" I asked her, turning her face to me.

"J-Janelle…?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and weak.

"Yes, it's me…oh thank god you're awake," I smiled lightly once I saw her brown eyes catching sight of me.

Yet the look in her innocent gaze filled with utter horror when she met mine and she immediately scrambled out of my grasp. Her movements were weak due to having just gained consciousness, but she was frantic, scooting as far away from me as possible.

"No…not again…not again!" she cried, bumping her head into the shelf behind her. Her fingers clenched into her thick, blonde hair and she clutched her head, shaking uncontrollably.

I was confused by her bizarre behavior and I stood to my feet, approaching her. "What's wrong, Eva? Why are you avoiding me?"

She suddenly started crying, streams of tears coming forth. "Your eyes…your eyes look just like his!" she choked out, hugging her arms. Her breathing was shaky and her legs were curled up as close to her body as possible.

After she said those words, I knew for sure who she was referring to, and it just made me more furious than ever. There was no ounce of fear now, just hatred. The strong emotions I had kept inside were begging to be released, screaming for blood.

"A-and you feel so c-cold…like him! Like _h-her_! S-stay away from me! All of you…all of you a-are monsters! Hurting me…not again…no more…!" she stuttered in distress. Hiccups began to erupt from her due to her heavy sobs.

I shook my head and kneeled before her, taking her arms before she could attempt to hit me or push me away. "Eva, listen to me. You know that I would never _ever_ hurt you. You have to know that. Remember? We said we were going to look out for each other and ourselves. You're my good friend Eva…the one I wanted to find and make sure she was safe."

A pang of guilt shook me when she slowly raised her head at me. Her left eye was half-lidded from the swelling of the bruise, and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot. With the tears dripping down her face, I just wanted to hold her in my arms and keep her safe at all times. I despised that I couldn't prevent this from happening.

My words had seemed to get through to her, despite her frazzled state, and she inched closer, burying herself in my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Please…I don't want to get hurt anymore…" she whispered, the salty liquid dampening the front of my dress.

"It's okay…I'm right here. I'll keep you safe." I continued to comfort her, rubbing her back.

After a long silence, I felt her body growing heavier in my arms and found that she had fallen asleep, the stress and attack she had endured taking a toll on her. Gently carrying her in my arms, I placed her on the lower bunk bed, tucking her under her blanket before grabbing mine from the top bunk and layering it on her as well.

Watching her sleep for a short moment, I then turned away, heading outside of the tent. My legs carried me forward to where they wanted me to go. I didn't care about the consequences.

I could feel my irises burning in rage and my fangs grow sharper, tasting blood in my mouth when they grazed against my flesh.

The dormant side of me took over.

…

About a half an hour passed. I had been wandering the circus grounds the entire time, waiting and inhaling the air for his distinct scent. I was completely vulnerable and alone. It shouldn't have taken this long.

Then finally, I found the monster. All I saw was blinding red, my sights set on him and only him. For once, he wasn't sneaking up on me. Maybe this time, I would finally gain an upper hand.

He had his arms crossed like earlier in the day, leaning against one of the distant tents. The area was isolated. The show was about to end, but the people hadn't left just yet.

Normally, I'd stay away; that was the smarter thing to do. I wasn't thinking rationally. My rage was too overwhelming. The vampire instincts that I often held back were taking control and I couldn't hold them back now.

My legs moved faster, charging for him.

He turned.

He grinned.

He spoke.

"Well, well, my love. Miss me al-"

He stopped.

My fist had slammed into his smiling face.


	31. Fearless

**Super thanks to _VampireSiren_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _Claydoh_, _Princesa de la Luna_, and _Yukira-Kuchiki_ for your comments on the last chapter! Glad you guys responded well to Janelle's attack on that tool! **

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

My knuckles crashed right into Percival's damn face and this time, he stumbled back, his head turning all the way to the side. I watched him facing away from me and bending over his knees. For once, he actually looked like he was in pain.

I didn't feel like myself, nor did I look it. My fangs were longer than usual. My eyes felt like they were on fire. I was burning up inside and I never wanted to stop. It felt strangely satisfying to give in to the inner beast.

Then, I saw him standing upright, rubbing the back of his hand against his chin. Chuckling under his breath, he managed to utter some words.

"_Damn. _That was a good-"

I struck him in the face again once he turned around. He rebounded in the next second, growing more maniacal with each hit he took.

"Hah! Is that all-"

Another stronger punch followed, and then another and another. I charged after him, drowning him in my flooding rage and striving to inflict all the pain I endured for so long onto him.

"You filthy _bastard_…" I began, my voice shaking with the stronger emotions that sprang forth. "How _dare_ you touch her! How dare you even come_ near_ her!"

I pushed him with as much force as my fury allowed, shoving him back and wanting so badly to see him suffer. I was a fool to show him mercy before; I wanted him _dead_.

He started to laugh, the corners of his mouth pulling into a mocking grin. Some blood dribbled down his chin, but despite that, it was as if he wasn't affected by my vicious onslaught at all.

His 'joyful' reaction just added more oil to the already enlarged flames that was my fury.

I breathed heavily, my chest rising and falling. His laughter grew louder and he lifted his head, his pupils glimmering with nothing but enjoyment.

"Janelle, you truly are a savage woman. Raising your voice, cursing at a man,_ hitting_ a man-"

"Shut your mouth!" I yelled and threw my fist against his chest. He bent over again, grasping the area where I hit him. A brief crack sounded, telling me that I had managed to snap a few of his ribs.

I approached him, grabbing hold of his shirt before bringing my hard fist down onto his face. Yet no matter how much I hit him, he was still grinning, still laughing like nothing was wrong.

"I didn't care that you hurt _me_ all those years! But hurting _her_?!" I snarled, striking him down countless times.

Blood began to stain my knuckles, but I didn't care. I wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face. It wouldn't go away. _He _wouldn't go away.

"She's an innocent girl, taken away from her family and forced to live like this! And yet you harm her when's she's so fragile and scared! I'll make you pay for laying a hand on her!"

I couldn't even recognize my own voice. I sounded hysterical and almost…terrifying. I couldn't scare anyone though; they all thought they could overpower me. They always won.

Before he could stand upright, I launched myself forward, hurling my body onto his temporarily weakened form. The both of us collided harshly to the ground, picking up some dirt on the way as his back skidded against it. Now that I was straddling him, my left hand pinned him down by the neck while I searched the ground near us with my right hand. Once I managed to find a stray block of detached wood, I stared bashing his face, hatred fueling the blows and more of his blood splattering on me in the process.

"_Damn you! Damn you to hell!" _I screamed, my violent actions not faltering in the slightest.

In the midst of it all, something in him finally snapped and his hand suddenly shot up and grabbed my wrist, his fingers digging in and breaking the vessels underneath. Though the pain didn't deter me as it usually would, I couldn't stop him when he took dominance in the next second, flipping me over until he was now trapping me under his heavier body weight.

My teeth were clenched and my fangs were bared like the face of a true, merciless beast. My body thrashed about under him as he looked upon me with his never-ending grin. Half of his face was covered in blood, nasty bruises, and gashes from my beatings, but just as I saw them, they were healing in an instant. His face was perfect again, albeit the gruesome red that stained his skin and matted his brown hair to his forehead.

"I have to admit…that was quite enjoyable, _darling_. _You_ hurting _me_ for once?" He chuckled and his hips slowly gyrated against my core. "Now I want you even more than ever," he muttered to me, his eyes clouded with lust.

He brought his forearm down over my neck, his knees pressing into my thighs and his other hand crawling over my heaving body. I tried to move my limbs under him again, but he had me under his grasp for good this time.

Everything I had done to him was nothing. He hadn't felt a thing; he had just been holding back his true strength the whole time and allowed me to hit him as much as I needed. I had wanted to finish him off myself, but his patience ran out too quickly. Before I knew it, I was back to struggling under his overpowering clutches.

He continued snickering at me, his tongue running over the blood that slid over his lips. He drew his face closer till his nose was touching mine.

"You know, I could have done _a lot_ worse to her than I did. You should be thankful that I even showed her mercy…"

I growled furiously at his words, my eyes matching the angry red of his. He shushed me, but I still wouldn't let up my resistance. His short temper got the best of him, and with a swift move of his hand, he ripped open the bodice of my dress. A few of the buttons flew to the side and he pulled the cloth open enough to see my chest. He made sure I wouldn't be able to fight back before he dipped his head, plunging his fangs into the tender flesh just above my breast. A sharp gasp escaped me and I bit my lip hard, muffling a louder scream. This was what he did last time in order to subdue me. Once bitten, the majority of my energy diminished and it left my limbs feeling heavier than lead.

It seemed like forever until he pried his mouth off of me, only to grin at me with his bloodied teeth and then biting into my exposed shoulder. I tried to keep my breathing as steady as possible in order to build up some tolerance against the shooting pain. The temptation in begging him to just end it already and kill me was nearly unbearable. But there was no way I was going to allow myself to die just yet. I had to protect her; I couldn't let her suffer anymore.

After biting me for the second time, he finally pulled himself up until his back was straight. His arm had released my neck, for he knew I couldn't struggle any longer. Catching sight of my eyes again, he could see that they were still crimson, but glassy.

He wiped some excess blood off his mouth with the back of his hand, licking everything clean like a deranged cannibal.

"I could've bitten her. You know well that her blood smells_ incredible_. I could've drained her tiny body to the very last drop. Imagine seeing her body then, eh?" he cackled, enjoying every bit of my ever-growing rage.

He stopped his laugh abruptly to say more. "Oh…and one last thing…"

I tried to move my legs under him but he merely exerted more pressure as he roughly pulled up the ends of my dress, exposing my bare skin and undergarments. Pulling down one side of the thin fabric, his hand wandered over the upper part of my thigh, tainting every part of the hidden skin with his dirty fingers. His hand then reached the area between my legs, cupping my warmth like it was his property.

"I could've _touched_ her. It would be so easy, considering she's just a mere human. But I didn't, and you know why."

I shook my head; the images he was instilling in my mind made me utterly sick. "_Stay away from her_," I stated through gritted teeth.

He merely stared at me like I was a child's toy. "I will, but on one condition…"

His malicious grin widened and needless to say, I dreaded to hear what would come next.

"…You agree to be mine and mine _alone_."

Almost immediately after those words, old memories of him, both good and bad, started rushing through my head, but most importantly, I thought of the other man, the demon, I came to know.

How could I possibly bring myself to fall back into his clutches? This time, I knew for sure, if I did follow through with his demand, I was to die for good. It wasn't death that bothered me, but how much torture he'd inflict on me before I ceased to exist. I couldn't bear to live through that again…

"I already know what you're thinking. You'll have to give in to me anyway, or else…"

Threat after threat, there was just no end to what he had in mind.

"…I'll _kill _your precious friend. I know everything, Janelle. I know how important she is to you. I know how pathetic and desperate you were in your wish to find her. You really think you'll get your 'happily ever after'?" He laughed in my face again.

There was just no escape.

"I know how _crushed _you'd be if she were to die."

I didn't want to do this…

Choosing to divert my eyes away from his, I finally spoke up. "Please…just don't come near her. Don't touch her. You can hurt me as much as you want. Just please…stay away from her," I begged, hating myself for resorting to this.

His lips curled upwards and he neared my ear. "That's not good enough…"

Without warning, his fingers dug into the folds of my private area, jabbing his index and middle digits inside regardless of how much it hurt. No matter how disgusted I was with how he was touching me, how his body kept me where he wanted, I tried to remain numb to it all. As long as I could keep Eva safe, it was one of the only things that mattered to me. Other than that and no matter how many times I kept telling myself not to depend on anyone, I couldn't _stop_ thinking about him.

I tried to imagine that it was _him _hovering above me. The way he smelled, the way he felt, the way he made me feel like he actually cared about me-convincing me that not all men were this horrible…

Feeling Percival continue with his advances as he plunged his fingers deeper inside me, I then heard a soft, distant hissing in the direction where my blank gaze focused on. Barely moving my head up, my eyes searched for the source of the sound. Coming out of the shadows and slithering between the nearby tents, I saw that it was one of the several snakes that diligently surveyed the area.

At first, the only thing that came to mind was how much I wanted it to come and inject its poison into me again so I would truly be numb, but the more crucial point hit me in an instant. If those snakes had been released already, that only meant one thing.

What came after was like a blur to me. My body still felt immobile, but out of nowhere, Percival's grasp loosened and soon enough, his whole weight disappeared off of me, leaving my disheveled and shameful form exposed.

"Shit…y-you aga-AGH!"

Percival's abrupt cries of agony snapped me out of my pain-induced daze and I slowly turned my head to see the all too familiar dark tailcoat swaying from the aftermath of his lightning fast appearance. Seeing that he had come for me again, my overwhelming shame grew worse.

I couldn't see much, considering his tall form was blocking most of my view. But soon enough, Percival was being lifted in the air; Sebastian's gloved hand gripped dangerously around his neck. The vile vampire was already choking, his hands clawing at the demon butler's outstretched arm.

Although Sebastian hadn't uttered a single word, his bold actions spoke for him. I could see his fingers clenching tighter around the vampire's neck, his back muscles tensing as he did so. Percival's face was still covered with blood from the already healed injuries inflicted by me, but his sharp blue eyes and weakened smile remained vivid in my sights.

"W-well…if it…d-damn…butler!" His strained voice only managed to articulate a few words. His own hands were attempting to crush the demon's wrist within his grasp, yet it didn't seem to detract Sebastian's murderous intent in the least bit.

"Still able to speak, are you? We certainly can't have that now," the butler finally spoke. Though his voice still had a polite air to it, there was a prominent undertone of ruthlessness.

A loud snap sounded in the next second, but I couldn't tell whether it was Percival's doing or Sebastian's. Either way, the bane of my humanity only put up more of a fight.

I watched the butler lean his head straight back after dodging a lethal kick from the vampire. Yet his grip on Percival didn't let up and with his hold, he slammed the vampire down to the ground, causing a thin, but long crack to form upon impact.

Percival growled in frustration and he moved to attack, only for his head to be lodged into the dirt by Sebastian's heel digging into his temple. Now that the demon was facing sideways, I could see the vibrant, magenta of his demonic irises glistening in the dark, his deadly gaze fixed on Percival's confined body. One more move and the butler could easily kill him on the spot without much effort at all. Percival seemed to realize that, for he didn't move an inch. Instead, his menacing grin returned to his face as his pupils wandered to the corner of his eyes, not afraid to meet the demon's stare.

"What's keeping you, Mister Butler?" the bastard spoke with a hoarse tone. He spit out some stale blood and his fangs gleamed under the glow of the dim lamps hanging by the tents. "You holdin' back? Actually got some mercy in that hollow heart of yours? Hah!"

Sebastian said nothing, only digging his heel further into Percival's skull. Fresh streams of red began seeping down the vampire's head and his eyes broke away from the demon above him. Instead, he was locking gazes with me and to my disgust, there was a sickening amount of 'kindness' in them, as if he was trying to charm me back.

Two more snakes were coming out of their hiding places and surrounded the three of us. Sebastian had already noticed them before me and a look of further disdain flashed across his face. I could never clearly tell what the demon was thinking, but if I had to guess, I assumed he was contemplating on whether or not to finish the bastard off for good. Due to his intensifying glower, however, he seemed to realize it was not the time and place to do so, thus was the cause of his hesitation.

The reptiles were drawing closer, waiting to see what would happen next so that they could report their findings of any interesting behavior.

"What the hell are you waiting fo-" Percival began, but was stunned when he felt the sharp nudging of the butler's heel leave his temple.

The vampire immediately lifted his head and moved his limbs, ready to strike back, yet he remained still when he saw that Sebastian made no move to harm him any further. He watched in confusion and shock, seeing that the butler had now chosen to come to my aid instead.

I had finally found the energy to roll over to my side, propping myself up with my elbows. My sights were now cast on the ground and I continued pulling myself to my knees when I felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around my center from behind. Feeling his presence against me, that rejuvenating burst of security filled my senses and gave me the strength to stand to my feet, with his strong grasp guiding me into his arms.

Sebastian propped me up against his side and my hands found and clutched onto the front of his coat. With his left arm clasped around my waist and his hand pressed protectively on my hip, the close position we were in stirred the vampire's hostility.

Letting his temper get ahold of his actions again, Percival lunged forward, dangerously aiming his attack at the two of us. He wanted to get rid of this image displayed in front of him, an image he found most revolting in every way possible.

His fingers formed into a claw and with his power, the lethal attack coming for us was capable of tearing off the heads of humans and lesser vampires, such as me, in a mere instant.

I didn't have time to react when Sebastian shifted us in a split second. With me still clinging to him, he moved so that I was out of Percival's reach. In the next moment, Sebastian's face took the hit, droplets of blood flying as soon as the vampire's clawed fingers struck him. The demon had taken a few steps back to lessen the damage, attaining three long gashes on his right cheek.

My eyes trembled in horror though Sebastian wasn't in any pain whatsoever. An amused smirk casually stretched on his lips and his crimson eyes gleamed at the panting vampire. Percival watched the trails of blood beginning to form along the demon's cheek bone, flowing down his pale skin so slowly; the mere droplets seemed to be taunting him as much as the demon's stare. He then glared down at his fingers, his nails tainted in the same_ vile_, dark liquid. He scowled in disgust and clenched his fist. His eyes darted about rapidly and he opened his mouth to speak, only to pause once more.

Now that his temper was simmering down to a reasonable level, Percival finally noticed the sneaky reptiles slithering about us, closely watching our every move. Thinking it over, despite how furious he still was, he got an inkling idea of why the demon before him wasn't putting up more of a fight.

_He doesn't want to draw suspicion? Hmph, well two can play at that. Spared a second time… Fuck, I'm pretty damn lucky._

Sebastian's smirk disappeared when he saw that Percival was motionless and he turned away, grasping me closer against his side.

I stared at the butler's face, trying to read through his emotionless expression when the bastard behind us decided to speak up.

"Oi! Butler Man! The next time we meet, things won't always be going your way!"

Sebastian froze in his steps, but his face held no apparent change. I didn't dare look over my shoulder, choosing instead to gaze intently at the butler's polished shoes.

"No matter what you do, she'll be crawling back to me in the end! She has no other choice!" Percival continued to bark, maniacal laughs coming after.

I felt a dark tremor underneath my fingertips and figured that Sebastian must be chuckling. Yet when I looked up at him again, he still didn't allow his emotions to show and instead, continued walking forward, his grip on me having tightened.

"_Janelle! Remember that I'm the only one who truly…_"

I didn't want to hear what I knew he would say and buried my face in Sebastian's chest, trying my hardest to block out his empty words. The butler realized my discomfort and covered my visible ear with his gloved hand, all the while trying to keep his calm demeanor in check.

Ignoring all else, he quickened his pace, no one else catching sight of us in the dark.

* * *

He didn't take me back to Eva, like I had hoped. Instead, he took me into a different tent, which I assumed was probably his. Inhaling the air and recognizing his scent was strong here, there was another mixed in, more concentrated in the corner of the room. As soon as we had stepped inside, Sebastian roughly pushed me in, nearly making me lose balance. The other scent was more distinct wherever I had landed.

Sebastian didn't bother lighting up the lamp in the empty tent, choosing to keep it relatively dark, with the moonlight and outside sources of illumination casting through the entrance. I didn't need light to see him anyway. I already knew he was boiling inside and I was actually glad for the darkness.

"I thought I told you…" the demon began, his voice unyielding and devoid of any of his 'kindness'. "I thought I told you to _stay away from him._"

He gave another stronger shove and this time, I fell to the ground on my side, my hands extended in front of me to break my descent. The force of his push slightly knocked the wind out of me and I faced the ground. I could already feel the large lump forming in my throat, as well as the annoying stinging behind my eyes. I tried my absolute hardest to hold it I all in. I didn't need for him to see me like this.

"Well? Are you going to explain to me why you are so absolutely _foolish_? Perhaps I should not have even come for you; I should have left you there so that you could die by his hands. _Is that what you want_?" Sebastian snapped, his intimidating form towering over me.

To think that I had wanted him to be the one above me…now I wasn't so sure. I didn't feel any differently; I still felt trapped and hurt inside. It was beginning to become too much for me to handle.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, Janelle," the demon commanded, his voice becoming more frightening and deep.

He heard soft gasps coming from me. When I finally turned to him, his demonic irises grew dimmer, though they still gleamed brightly in the dark. His fiery gaze burned through my skull, like the flames of hell resided right in his eyes.

A dark chuckle immediately broke from him, holding only bitterness and disdain. "You're actually shedding tears…crying for him?"

My voice came out in a whisper that barely cracked the tension.

"I snapped…"

He paused for a moment before answering in a cold tone. "What was that?"

I lifted my head, bringing myself to look him in the eyes. Feeling the heat rising to my face and the lump in my throat growing worse, everything crashed down.

"He hurt her, Sebastian! He hurt my friend! I-I couldn't take it anymore…" I brought a hand to my mouth, trying so hard to keep it back but it was no use. Tears started exploding from my eyes, spilling down relentlessly and most definitely making me look more like a weakling in his point of view.

"I…I couldn't just stand by anymore and let him do as he pleased…I wanted to deal with him myself and so I…" I spoke between sobs, which only escalated no matter how much I wanted to stop this useless crying.

My hands covered my face, muffling my sounds of distress and hiding from his look of contempt. Sebastian hadn't said a word for the longest time, but in my mind, I was thinking of all the possible things he would say to me, none of them positive in the slightest. Why would a demon try and lift my spirits? He even said he should have left me there. I only expected the worse.

After what seemed like hours of unbearable silence, I felt his hand resting on my quivering shoulder. I flinched from his contact, but he paid no mind and instead leaned in closer and wound his arms around my waist, pulling me back up on my feet.

Once I was standing again, he tore my hands away from my face, allowing me to see that his eyes had returned to their normal red. His face held no smile or any trace of ill disposition. Instead, he reached behind the lapel of his tailcoat and in his hand, retrieved his handkerchief. With the pure white cloth, he stepped closer, ridding some of the tears from my cheeks.

"Don't cry, Janelle. It doesn't suit you at all," he said sternly, though he sounded softer.

I gently took the handkerchief from him, steadying my convulsive gasping and soon, it was quiet between us once again.

While I was busy cleaning off my face and calming down, Sebastian brushed past me to illuminate the tent. With the lamp now lit up, he looked up at me and gave a light sigh. There was no way I could see how I looked, but as far as I could tell, my cheeks were flushed and my eyes still stung from the weeping. Letting him see me in such a humiliating way made me want to run from him, but I reminded myself not to act like such a coward. I simply pressed the white cloth against my nose and inhaled deeply; his scent that I grew to find comfort in did the trick in settling my emotions.

When he took steps closer to me, I stopped him, placing a hand on his chest.

"Your face…" I pointed out and he frowned before angling his head to the left, recalling the wounds inflicted by the vampire.

Before he could touch his right cheek, I intervened, using his handkerchief to clean the blood off for him. He stood still, his vibrant eyes staying on me as I did so but I didn't meet his gaze. Once I was done, I removed the cloth from his cleared skin to see that the gashes were no longer visible.

Sebastian reached out, grasping my wrist and examining the back of my hand before I could pull away completely. He saw more clearly Percival's dried blood still clinging to my knuckles and to his relief, saw that there were no wounds on my hand like he had thought. Recalling how much blood was on the male vampire's face, as well as the remnants that had splattered on my dress and knuckles; he had an idea of what I had attempted to do and needed no more explanation from me.

His hold on my wrist tightened. "Don't listen to whatever he tried to convince you to do. You are not to give in to him. I won't let you. I _won't_ let him have you."

The soft glow of the lamp light reflected the water that still glazed over my eyes and before I could even speak, Sebastian stopped me with anger outlining his features.

"The mere fact that he…" he muttered but didn't finish.

He lowered my wrist and his other hand wandered to my exposed collarbone. Only then did I remember that Percival had ripped some of the buttons off the front of my dress.

Sebastian's slender fingers grazed over my pale skin, eliciting goose bumps to follow after his touch. His hand stopped when he spotted the bleeding vampire bite above my breast. He glowered at the sight, and letting go of my wrist, he pulled aside the fabric covering my shoulder and saw the second one there.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, Sebastian. It's okay…"

"I won't let you go to him," he stated more sternly.

"But he said he'd kill-"

"He's lying to you, don't you understand? He's only trying to bait you into giving in to him. I _will not_ let that happen," he enunciated, grabbing hold of the sides of my arms and shaking me.

I froze at his words, my mouth slightly agape. His eyes stared right into mine, the red of his irises appearing darker than before. I closed my mouth, trying to think of something to say.

All that came out of me was one word, "Why?"

"Why what?" he demanded, growing impatient.

"It would be easy. I would no longer be a thorn in your side. So why…are you intent on keeping me here…with…"

My voice trailed off, and the feelings I kept back in front of him started to arise, causing my cheeks to burn red by neither sadness nor anger.

Sebastian noticed the apparent rosiness on my face and his eyes widened slightly. Letting go of my arms, he turned his attention to the flickering of the flame in the lamp on the lone crate. As he thought over his response, the flame grew bigger in size, somehow matching whatever was stirring in his mind.

"You were never a thorn in my side, Janelle. You were…" The flame flickered more wildly and an ominous smirk rose to his lips. Turning his gaze back to me, his crimson eyes appeared empty and sent unknown chills down my spine.

"I simply cannot allow someone as despicable as him to lay hands on someone as valuable as you."

I remained silent, the hollowness of his eyes drawing me in and stealing me away. That smirk of his, it was much more evil than what I've seen before. It seemed to be a look he reserved for his prey, his precious_ souls_.

Valuable, he said. What did he mean by that? He said it like I was merely some kind of desirable commodity. Was I not just a_ person_?

The flickering of the lamp glowed against his pale skin and only made him look more like the merciless predator he was. Though I was an immortal being, in that moment, I felt like a helpless mouse in front of a ravenous feline. And the mouse couldn't, no, _didn't_ want to run away…

Sebastian's expression fell suddenly and just as I heard an odd 'clicking' sound, the butler pushed me backwards. I collided against the hard wood of the bunk bed and right in between us, the elongated death scythe, belonging to the only reaper present, had shot through.

"Haven't I told you to _stay out_ of my personal space, you incompetent demon," the voice of William broke the silence, and with our attention diverted to the entrance, the reaper slipped inside, propping his glasses up and pulling back his weapon.

"My, my, you nearly severed our legs off. I must applaud you for your brilliant aim," Sebastian stated sarcastically with his close-eyed grin.

"I was aiming higher, _vermin_," William retorted with a scowl before taking his place on the lower bunk bed, retracing the 'boundary line' in their tent while he was at it.

He then looked up, sending a dirty glare my way. "What is _she_ doing here? I can hardly stand being in the same room with one loathsome beast let alone two."

The demon narrowed his eyes at the reaper, his demonic aura rising again. "I don't believe that's any of your business."

"Whether or not it's my business, take your filthy plaything out of here at-"

My eyes widened when a swift projectile sped forth and aimed for William. The reaper immediately blocked off the attack with the book he had just taken out. Flipping the book over, the two of us found one of Sebastian's silver knives sticking to the thick leather cover. We both looked to the demon, that devilish smirk set on his face again as he held two more blades that shined in the light.

William grabbed for his scythe. "It seems I've succeeded in further provoking the demon…" The reaper spared me a quick glance. "…by simply commenting on this lowly harlot."

Sebastian's eyes flashed and he crossed William's boundary line, his hands clenching as he approached the reaper.

"_Demon_, get out of my space or I'll-"

"Sebastian!"

The murderous tension between the demon and reaper vanished in an instant at that certain voice interrupting.

"Young Master…" Sebastian spoke and he turned away from the reaper, retaining his butler composure.

Seeing Ciel once again, concern filled me when I saw that he was coughing more often now, although they were quiet and stifled. His condition seemed to be getting worse, and Sebastian still didn't pay any mind. Hopefully, I was just being a worrywart…

"You…you let out the snakes when I was still over there?!" Ciel snapped, a cough interrupting his speech.

Sebastian seemed puzzled at first and then he smiled. "Yes, master, I did." He went on to explain. "As I strictly recall, you said to release the snakes once the first-tier members returned from the show."

Noticing Ciel's dark glare, Sebastian's smile grew smug. "What is the matter, my lord? Why the long face?" His eyes took on their demonic hues. "You should not worry, for as long as we are bound by the contract, I shall protect you. However, if you commit a mistake on your own accord, you will certainly suffer a painful consequence while still alive; you do realize that, master?"

I saw Ciel's fists at his side shaking in anger at the demon's sadistic words and of course, Sebastian was enjoying his master's apparent displeasure.

"Any game becomes a bore when it lacks thrill," Sebastian continued matter-of-factly. "I was sure you would feel the same, my lord."

"It's in bad taste to play games that make me want to vomit, _demon_!" Ciel spat with an equally sadistic grin.

The young Earl then pushed past his butler, stifling another dry cough. "Enough of that nonsense, I found a letter in Joker's tent with my name on it. From what I saw, they are aware of my rank, my mansion's address, and some personal history…"

I saw that Ciel's foot had crossed a certain area and intended to warn him, but the Earl was too preoccupied with his discovery. "I found the sender-"

"My lord…" I began, but it was too late.

"_You..._"

Ciel stopped in his tracks at the familiar voice and jumped in surprise, successfully dodging William's prompt attack on invaders. "You are intruding my private property by three centimeters. Step out immediately."

The young Earl growled under his breath and then turned to the entrance of the tent. "Sebastian, let's go outside."

The butler nodded and paused to glance at the annoyed reaper before locking gazes with me. He then swept past me to whisper a few words before leaving.

"Don't stay for too long."

I nodded my head for only him to see and with that; the butler followed his master out into the night.

There was an abrupt silence, though it was cut short a second time by the only other person in the tent.

"You truly are a foolish woman."

I paused for a moment before turning and facing the reaper. William didn't look at me just yet. Instead, he was busy taking out the butler's knife from the back of his book before turning it over in his hand.

"I do not know your relation with that vermin, nor do I care to know. But if you had a brain, it would be wise for you to flee right this instant." William's glasses formed a bright glare as he pushed them up. "Suffering is what lies ahead for you if you remain with that beast and soon, you will wish for death to come and claim you." As he said the last words, he held his scythe up straight, as if he were ready to reap me on the spot.

"Take it…" He threw me Sebastian's knife and I caught it in my hands. "…or leave it."

My gaze fell to the well-polished and sharpened silverware in my grasp, seeing my eye reflecting back at me as I looked at the blade. In the same hand underneath the knife, his handkerchief still resided with me. The once pristine cloth was now stained with tears of a vampire and the blood of a demon.

Clasping my fingers over the items after a moment of thought, I lifted my head and smiled brightly at the reaper. William looked taken aback by my joyful expression and he narrowed his eyes in a wary manner.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowing at me.

My smile stayed and I simply turned my back on him, making for the exit. Once my hand lifted the tent flap, I looked over my shoulder at him once more.

"Good night, Mr. Spears," I declared and left him alone.

With a light scoff, William simply opened his book, turning back to the page he was reading. Only one blunt thought crossed his mind and he spoke it out loud.

"_Women_."


	32. Cut

**Thanks to _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _VampireSiren_, _KHRLover1997_, _Princesa de la Luna_, and _MrsGooglyBear _(what a cute username! Monsters Inc?! XD) for reviewing the last chapter! Seems the pesky vampire is still on the loose and William's being a stick in the mud (as usual). Well, well, in the meantime…**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

After the useless blood and tears that had been shed in what seemed to be an excruciatingly long time, I immediately set about returning to my tent. Even though Sebastian's words may have been true, it did little in settling my worry. That monster may have been lying as usual, but he could always turn around and prove me wrong. He could kill her. He could do it in a snap and I wouldn't even know. He could have smashed her skull in her sleep for all I knew, while I was out here wasting time.

I walked with quick steps, a shaken mind, and a pulse that only seemed to rise. Yet despite how eager I was to return to her, there was only one voice that was able to reach me through all my crowded thoughts. The mere fact that his voice didn't sound calm, but instead rather alarmed, effectively brought me back out of my muddled head and diverted my sense of direction elsewhere.

"Young Master! What's wrong?!" I heard him shout in the seemingly still atmosphere.

Loud coughs and what sounded like violent heaving came after, but it was much fainter and muffled. I could only imagine the young Earl was trying to hold back his condition long enough, and now he was suffering the consequences.

"Young Master!" Sebastian's voice called again and it seemed Ciel was unable to speak, with only more hacking and heaving noises resonating in the distance.

I quickened my pace, my pulse rising in further apprehension. All my worry for her was cast aside for now, reserved for the young lord as I continued to where I heard Sebastian's voice.

I finally found them not too far from where the demon and reaper's tent resided. On the ground, Ciel had fallen to his knees and pools of vomit had splattered all around him, the bile dripping from his hands and mouth. Sebastian was, of course, trying to make sense of what was going on with his master.

Just as I appeared before them, the young Earl began to lose consciousness and fell sideways into Sebastian's already outstretched arms.

"Oh no…" I muttered right away and immediately kneeled beside both of them.

Sebastian glanced up at me as soon as I was near and then returned his gaze down at his master.

"This is what you meant, isn't it?" he simply stated.

For the first time, I saw what looked like utter confusion and a hint of panic tainting the butler's usual 'all-knowing' demeanor. Along with that, his eyes were laced with genuine concern and in that small moment, the thought of Sebastian truly caring about Ciel deep down crossed my mind, despite the boy essentially becoming his meal in the end. I was probably mistaken though, for that would be the sole reason why he was panicking-his dinner's health was at stake.

I gently placed my hand on the Earl's forehead and found that his temperature was much hotter than normal. "I didn't want to believe his condition would get worse. I never saw someone have such a terrible reaction like he did before," I replied softly.

We heard Ciel let out another light cough and his head shifted under my hand. It seemed as if he was leaning into my touch instead of avoiding it. Was it because of how cold my hand felt against his burning forehead? That was the only answer I could think of.

"Black! Smile! What happened?!" Another voice entered and we turned our attention to Ciel's tent mate running towards us with surprise clear on her face.

Sebastian's expression grew serious and he stood to his feet, his master cradled in his arms. "We need to take him to the doctor at once."

One look at the butler's face and the girl knew not to ask any more questions. Instead, she jumped right into action and led the three of us to the doctor's tent straight away.

After a while of assessing the young lord's illness and getting him comfortable in one of the available beds, the doctor gave us the diagnosis.

Asthma, the physician said, something that, according to Sebastian, the Young Master had no problems with for the three years the demon butler had been serving him. Not until that night, of course.

"If he hadn't been experiencing any troubles through those years, it _would_ be considered recovered," the doctor further explained with a slight frown. He glanced down at Ciel, who looked sickly pale and frailer than usual. His body looked so small under the thin white sheets.

"It would seem that the stress and cold weather has done a number on him…" Sebastian muttered, half to himself.

"That's right," the doctor replied, having heard what the butler had said. "If his body is weakened in the slightest, the asthma could come back just as easily, as if it had never stopped."

While Sebastian and the doctor were discussing about Ciel's health issues, I casually scoured the infirmary, looking for certain medical supplies and finding that the doctor didn't have much. It was understandable, considering it was a circus, not a hospital. They had to make do with what little they had.

Seemed I wasn't as casual as I wanted; the girl, who I came to know as 'Freckles', approached me with curiosity.

"Whaddya up to Pearl? Yer awful quiet!" she asked, her visible eye blinking with innocence at me.

I chuckled lightly and continued looking around. "I need something…I've been having withdrawal symptoms, you see. Any longer and I'll lose my head…Where is it…where is it…" I said in a low, ominous tone, cackling quietly in the end for effect.

Freckles gave me a wary look and stepped back a few steps. "Er…maybe I shouldn't have asked…"

I snapped out of the crazed façade and shook my head with a small smile. "Don't worry, I was just joking."

"Jokin' about what, if ya don't mind?" she questioned with a slight nervous grin.

"Nothing, nothing," I reassured her. "That was just my poor attempt at humor."

"Oh…okay!" She beamed at me, brushing aside the subject. I thought she'd leave me alone then, but her eyes examined my form and she gasped. "Why is there blood on your clothes? Are you hurt?" she asked, worry invading her features again.

I froze. I kept forgetting about the dark stains on my dress. Thankfully, they were small and only littered the bottom portion of my sleeves and where Percival had bitten me. I'd probably be able to wash them out easily, but for now, I'd have to keep making up excuses.

"I'm perfectly fine, nothing much really. Some guy punched me in the face during practice on accident and I ended up with a bloody nose. It all came gushing out and got on my clothes a bit, but other than that, it was no big deal," I explained as convincingly as possible.

Well, if the genders were switched in that last-minute lie, I guess it'd be partially true…

"What?! Someone punched you?! Who is it?! I know almost everyone here so if you tell me, I'll teach that guy a good lesson not to hit a girl!" she stated with much exuberance, rolling up her sleeves.

I raised my hands in front of me. "Freckles, it's all right! It was an accident and he was gracious enough to apologize. Sweet guy, really."

The brunette calmed down and she grinned again. "Oh, that's good! Glad he didn't break yer nose at least!"

Her cheerful words made me wish I _had_ broken _his _nose and that he wouldn't be able to heal it on his own. No form of punishment could completely excuse his horrid actions, but at least it would give me some spark of satisfaction to see his mutilated face.

"Oh! You're awake I see!" the doctor suddenly exclaimed behind us.

Hearing that Ciel was finally conscious, Freckles immediately came near the young Lord's bedside, excitement and relief shown through her actions.

"Ah! Smile, I was so worried about you!" she stated, trying to reach out for him. The doctor, however, placed his arm out to prevent her from getting too close.

"Water…" Ciel requested weakly and Sebastian came to his side with a teapot of the liquid ready for him.

As Sebastian kept his master hydrated, the doctor went on to inform Ciel of his condition and other precautions typically stated to the ill.

"Everyone should leave now and allow Smile to get some rest," the doctor declared, coaxing the three of us outside.

Freckles was the first to leave and Sebastian hesitated a bit before complying with the doctor's orders. The demon paused again when he saw me holding a certain container in my hand.

"Are you coming, dear?" he asked me quietly, coming to my side.

I narrowed my eyes at the label written on the container I was finally able to find before answering him. "I will. Hold on a minute…doctor?"

"Yes?" the physician replied, moving his wheel chair in our direction.

"May I borrow this for a little bit? I promise I'll return it to you as soon as I'm done...by tonight at the most," I assured him.

He nodded with a warm smile. "Of course. Is there someone injured in another tent? If it's serious, don't be afraid to bring them over so I may take a look at them."

I nodded to him in understanding and with one last glance at Ciel, Sebastian and I left the doctor's tent.

"That's for her, I assume," Sebastian stated without question, eyeing the medicine in my hand.

"Yes…" I said quietly and before I could say another word, he took hold of my arm and led me forward.

Seeing my slight surprise, Sebastian turned around and gave his close-eyed grin. "Well come along then, let's not keep your friend waiting."

* * *

With Sebastian by my side, the trip back to tent fifteen felt a lot shorter compared to when I would return alone. It was probably because I felt safer with him, braver than I could ever be.

I almost dreaded seeing the familiar tent coming into view, but sensing that the bastard hadn't infiltrated this area any further since before I confronted him, I felt instant gratification. At least for now; I wouldn't let my guard down just yet.

Entering the tent, a sharp squeal met our ears and I looked to see Eva had just literally rolled out of bed and was now on the floor, face down.

"Eva? What's the matter?" I asked, placing a hand on her back and helping her up.

The blonde turned on her stomach and she swallowed hard but mustered up a smile. I returned her expression, though it faltered when I saw her swelling black eye.

"I'm okay…it's just…" She hesitantly averted her gaze to the butler, who stood in his perfect posture at the entrance of the tent. "I…didn't expect to see _him_ here…"

I rolled my eyes with a playful smile. "Oh him? He's not going to-"

"Your friend is_ frightened_ of me, is she?" Sebastian cut in.

The demon stepped out of the shadows and came into the dim light, resting on his right knee before her while propping his left arm over his other knee. Eva let out another squeak and I rested a hand on her trembling shoulder. Sebastian's eyes gleamed with amusement at the girl's fear of him.

I could hear Eva's fragile heart pounding rapidly in the sudden awkward silence and I was sure Sebastian could as well, considering his smirk just got wider. Without warning, Sebastian took in an exaggerated inhale through his nose, which worsened the shaking of Eva's frail body.

"Ah…how delightful. Tell me, why are you so afraid? Do you think I will hurt you, like that man?" Sebastian questioned her and as he did, his face leaned in closer to her.

Eva's face began to heat up at the close proximity and her cheeks bloomed red. She stumbled over her words, her eyes completely glued with the demon's enticing gaze.

"H-How did you know? Wh-wha…" she trailed off, her breath escaping her.

"Because I had to save your idiotic friend's pathetic, little bum from getting pummeled by that man," he whispered, his alluring tone hypnotizing her.

Eva's heart rate almost seemed to burst when the demon butler placed his gloved fingers under her chin, keeping her from attempting to break their gaze.

"Hmm…your soul…I admit, it has its own unique flare. You had better take good care of it, for it is quite delicate and valuable. Easily snatched by other-"

"_All right!_ Please stop terrorizing her! At this rate, she'll keel over and die from a heart attack, Mr. Scary Trousers," I declared and out of nowhere, had snuck behind him and began pulling him away from the girl.

Sebastian was forced to stand to his feet when I continued pulling him back as far as possible, my arms tightly wrapped around his slim waist.

"What was that you just called me? You are never so keen on silly nicknames, my dear. Don't tell me you're going to be spouting distasteful pet names like that_ revolting_ reaper," Sebastian tilted his head over his shoulder at me, grimacing at the brief thought of the certain vermin.

"Do you mean William? I didn't know he-"

"_No_. I'd rather not speak the name of the one I was referring to," Sebastian replied quickly before I could finish.

"Well in any case, please don't scare Eva like that," I stated in a tone that sounded sterner than I intended.

Sebastian smirked and rolled his eyes. "Oh come now, I was merely having fun. There's no need to be so fussy…"

He stopped when he noticed that my arms only tightened further around his waist from behind, my head burrowing into his lean back. Sebastian frowned slightly and he lifted his right arm to get a closer look at my face. Seeing my scowl, as well as the certain emotion that dwelled in my eyes, he knew what I was feeling all too well. It pleased him in a way, more than it should.

He managed to twist his body within my grasp and faced me, placing his hands on my shoulders. With a tilt of my chin, a look in his eyes, and a smile on his lips, he didn't have to say much of anything. I buried my face in his chest, strengthening my hold around his waist and knowing he wouldn't feel any pain no matter how tightly I held him.

He hovered over me, wrapping a single arm around my upper body. His other hand wandered under the hair on my head, ruffling the locks in a way that told me he truly was just fooling around. It made me feel better; the slight jealousy seeping out of me the longer I stayed like this in his arms.

_I should have known._

Having almost forgot we weren't completely alone; Eva's voice reminded us she was still there.

"Umm…"

Sebastian turned us around to see the blonde getting back on her feet, the blush disappearing from her face and leaving behind her pale complexion, almost grey-like. I broke away from the butler and came back to her side.

"I've got something for your eye and your bruises," I told her and she nodded in appreciation. She promptly took a seat back on her bunk bed while I pulled up the wooden stool like before.

As I rubbed the salve from the container onto her blackened eye, Sebastian wandered about the tent, examining the area with a stern look on his face. It seemed like he was keeping guard, making sure the vampire wasn't anywhere near.

"I don't think he'll be returning here, Janelle. The damage has already been done. I don't sense his presence within this part of the vicinity," the butler informed me, his gaze concentrated elsewhere.

Eva's normal eye widened in fear while I continued dabbing the ointment on her bruises. "Oh god, I hope he doesn't come back. He was terrible…I…I couldn't sleep at all because of the nightmares…"

Sebastian gave his close-eyed smile at the blonde, placing a hand over his heart. "Do not fret over him, Miss Eva. I assure you that you will be safe. The man wouldn't dare make another move knowing that I'd be around to tear his limbs off."

Eva looked taken aback by his blunt statement and seemed to cower away from him even more. I caught on to his hidden message and stopped in the middle of the treatment, turning to the butler with a hint of surprise. "Really? Her too?" I whispered.

He nodded ever so slightly, a ghost of a smile on his lips that only I could see.

"Are you finished? Your own wounds need to be tended too after all," he said, coming over and taking the medicine out of my hand.

Eva frowned. "Wounds? Janelle, what happened?"

I tried to laugh it off but the answer was literally in the open when Sebastian pulled open the top part of my dress, revealing the two vampire bites that were slowly beginning to close up.

She covered her mouth in shock whereas Sebastian scowled at the sight of them again. "That looks awful! That man did that to you? What kind of man is he?!" she exclaimed breathlessly, her eyes glued to the vicious bite marks.

"I'd be happy to inform you of what kind of _man_ he is…" Sebastian began with his sadistic smirk but I stopped him by cutting in quickly.

"He's a monster…that's all," I stated quietly, hesitating on telling her what he really is. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes for a moment. "…And I knew him."

I carefully watched her reaction. Her lips quivered and I thought she was trembling again, but hearing the word she was mumbling to herself, I realized she was trying to figure out something.

_She knows…she knows…_

"Monster…? He's…a…" She peered at the bites again, which were now being treated with the medicine by Sebastian's hands.

"Ow! You're pressing a bit too hard, sir," I complained, slapping the demon on the arm, but meaning no real harm.

"How wonderful, I'm glad it hurts," he said shortly, his rubbing movements getting rougher over my skin.

Once he was done, he moved back, examining his work and nodding in approval. "There we go, they should heal faster now." Right as he said that, a blotch of red caught his eye on my collarbone and his lips curled upwards in a smug smile. He leaned forward, his warm breath tickling me as he allowed his tongue to taste the flavor of my skin and blood.

Knowing that Eva was still there, I aimed to push him back. "Sebastian…"

"_He's…a vampire_!" the blonde girl suddenly blurted, throwing a pointed finger up in the air. It was as if a light bulb had sprung above her head.

Sebastian and I turned to her and with both our gazes focused on the girl; she then realized what she just shouted like a mad woman. She blushed profusely again and curled her knees up to her chest.

"N-Never mind what I just said…oh what am I thinking?" She started muttering to herself, gripping her head in embarrassment.

"You're right though, Eva," I simply replied and she gasped, lifting her head from behind her legs.

"I am? It…it made sense to me after all. The pale skin, the cold body temperature, those bite marks, his terrifying strength…" She then froze again, her breathing getting faster. I waited with a sullen expression; she was finally figuring it all out.

"So…that means…you're a vampire too?" she breathed in disbelief and I simply gave a solemn nod. Eva continued on, rubbing her rough hands together in thought. "That means Carlene was one…and…" She gulped and braved a look at Sebastian. "A-are you a vampire as well?"

I snorted and Sebastian's smirk widened at Eva's question. "Well, Black, _are _you a lowly bloodsucker?" I asked in an overly sweet tone.

Sebastian chuckled and he did his signature bow. "No I am not, dear Pearl, for I am simply one _hell _of a circus performer."

Eva let out a giggle, breaking the seriousness brought on by the conversation and attracting our attention again.

I raised an eyebrow at her and she kept laughing, stealing quick glances between Sebastian and me. The pink began to return to her bony cheeks.

"What…are you thinking?" I asked her curiously.

She shrugged and said, "You two seem to get along quite well."

Her random statement took the both of us by slight shock. The demon butler and I exchanged brief glances before breaking it in the next second.

"Is that what you think? Well, if you ask me, getting along with a woman who acts out in spontaneous and irrational ways is a rather taxing job," Sebastian answered with a polite smile and a hand over his chest.

"And getting along with a man who enjoys people's pain in his spare time? Yes, it sure is easy…" I added, mustering up a grin.

Sebastian threw the medicine container at my head with his fake smile intact and I let out a gasp of surprise. "Ah! You see? You see what I put up with?"

Eva shook her head, giving us her mischievous grin that told me she was about to say something that either of us or _both _of us did not want to hear.

"You can't hide it from me, Janelle. You two are completely in-"

Sebastian suddenly walked away from us before she could finish, his tailcoat whipping in the air with his quick motion.

Eva's mouth stayed open for a second before she closed it with a confused expression. I frowned and stood from the stool I sat on.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked, following him.

The demon paused with his hand lifting the tent flap. He then looked back over his shoulder at us. "It would seem Smile is calling for me. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Eva," Sebastian declared abruptly and then left the tent without a second thought.

_It was always like this…_

I stood there, my face blank as I watched the flaps of the tent entrance flutter with the night air. Eva stared at my back, all the while raising a hand to her left eye and wishing it wasn't so swollen since she couldn't see as well.

"Was it…something I said?" the girl spoke softly.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I turned around, walking back and standing right in front of her. I took her hands in mine, rubbing the cracked skin with my thumbs. I could feel Eva's intense stare on me and I slowly met her brown eyes.

Dark shadows, hollow cheeks, scars, and now bruises…this had to stop. The longer she stayed here, barely surviving, the worse she'd become. She could die so easily. She would never be able to see her loved ones ever again. To think it was all because of one heartless man with eyes of greed and lust, stealing nearly everything.

I had to get her out of here…If it boiled down to just the two of us, then so be it.

"…okay?" Her small voice barely reached me.

I let go of one of her hands, placing mine against her cheek, my thumb directly under her black eye. She winced slightly but smiled.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

I simply returned her warm expression and caressed the side of her face.

"Rest now. He won't appear in your dreams anymore."

* * *

It was a few hours until Eva was able to fall asleep, with me by her side and holding her hand. Once I felt her grip begin to slacken, I gently released her frail fingers from me, placing her hand under the covers and making sure she was tucked in.

Sebastian was right. It had been a long while now, and _he _wasn't showing any signs of appearing here again. But it took a long time for me to accept, my mind battling whether or not to leave Eva's side or not. Eventually, after staring into space and gritting my teeth, the other side won-the dire curiosity that was repeatedly poking at me. Where was Sebastian?

_Don't go. It's too risky._

_You won't know what could happen…_

I shook those thoughts away. Think positive, think positive, I told myself over and over. Eva was going to be fine. I could be quick and come right back. She would still be fine when I returned.

Thinking it over for the millionth time and finally making up my mind, I stood up and quietly distanced myself from the sleeping girl and then exited the tent. The winter breeze in the night blew through my body once I was outside. Though it had no effect on me, I unconsciously pulled the ripped portion of my bodice together, feeling too exposed for my taste despite the small amount of visible skin.

I first made my way back to Ciel in the infirmary, somehow doubting that Sebastian was going to be in there. As expected once I took a quiet step inside, all I saw was the young Lord sleeping in his bed, his small body buried under the white sheets, along with Freckles sprawled right next to him, her arms and legs extended over his body like he was a pillow. A small smile swept past my lips at the sight, then disappeared. Sebastian's scent was faint here; he'd been gone for a while.

As soon as I returned the borrowed ointment to where I found it, I left the infirmary without stirring the adolescents.

Following what little of his scent there was left, I then detected something that alarmed me. It was blood, Sebastian's to be exact. I shifted my head left and right, trying to find where it was strongest. Inhaling deeply, my feet then led me to a small area into between two tents close to the infirmary. I narrowed my eyes and kneeled down, reaching my hand out and spotting dark droplets on the ground. Grazing my fingers over it, the blood was completely dry but smelled like the demon one hundred percent.

"What happened…?" I whispered under my breath.

I continued on the demon's scent trail, hoping that it wouldn't fade away with each step I took.

"Maybe this was a bad idea…" I said to myself, feeling foolish for walking aimlessly.

Just when I was going to change direction, a clicking sound met my ears and soon enough, something zipped right past me. It was so fast that there was no pain, only trickles of blood seeping down a shallow cut on my cheek. My eyebrows furrowed, touching my right cheek and then turning around to see William behind me, standing in his striped pajamas and retracting his scythe back in place.

I stared down at my own blood on my fingers and ran my tongue over them, eyes flashing red for a split second. "You know, I don't mean to be rude, but you've got a bad habit of swinging that weapon of yours so dangerously like that," I said, meeting his ever stern gaze.

"There's a reason why I do so, to get rid of disruptions like you," he stated, propping his glasses up on his nose.

My frown deepened when I realized something. "You hurt Sebastian."

William scoffed at me, swiping the blood off his scythe with a swing of his arm. "I would have killed him if he hadn't caught my scythe with his bare hand."

The cut on my cheek healed in an instant and I wiped the blood away with my palm.

"First a demon, now a vampire. Well, at least your type doesn't steal souls. Yet I despise the both of you all the same." He turned to the side, concentrating on something in the distance before continuing. "You are honestly wasting your time, but if you're looking for him, he went that way." William pointed to the certain direction with his scythe.

I narrowed my eyes, noticing that it was where the first-tier members resided.

"He's doing more investigating…" I muttered quietly, but it seemed he still heard me.

"I'd rather he not. Letting a dog loose without a master is hazardous to my work." He jabbed his weapon at me. "Now get out of my sight. I've got a job to do and you're only slowing me down," he snapped and then turned his back on me.

I smiled lightly and skipped on ahead of him. "Thank you, Mr. Spears. I hope you don't get too cold in those 'cute' night clothes of yours," I teased him, expecting to get stabbed in the next second.

William merely huffed and pointed to where I should be going again. "Just keep your demon away from my premises."

…

_"It's pointless pursuing a human like him. He can't return your feelings. Although he may think treating you nicely is good enough, he also knows it will only hurt you in the end." The demon spoke with such 'wisdom', like he knew every single thought that went on in this woman's head._

_His long fingers wandered over the woven scarf around her neck, a scarf that belong to the man she longed for but could never reach._

_"How cruel," he continued in a tone dripping with charm. "When did this start? These miserable tears of yours and a relationship that leads to nowhere…"_

_"What would you understand?!" the woman cried and dared to throw a punch at the devil-in-disguise._

_Of course, such a feeble attempt to harm did nothing against the demon. Instead, his little game continued, drawing her closer into his malicious grasp with each intoxicating word that slipped past his lips. So sweet did they sound, yet at the same time so utterly deadly, meaningless, empty._

_"I can make you forget…All the pain you've kept bottled inside, even if it's just for one night. Allow me to explore the darkness that lies deep within you…I'll take it all away…"_

_The woman was paralyzed. She couldn't move, her tears the only form of motion rolling down her frozen cheeks. _

_She would give in. She would drown in pleasure. She'd succumb to this wicked creature she couldn't escape._

_The scarf fell to the ground._

_…_

His scent was getting stronger and stronger now. I could just feel his presence! Weird of me to get all excited in the middle of nowhere, but I had to admit, hunting for the butler was a tad bit of fun. It was like a game of hide-and-go-seek to me.

I wondered what he was up to. I couldn't stop thinking of ways to sneak up on him. Maybe I could manage to scare him a bit.

No, no, that'd never work. Well, perhaps he'd laugh…

…

_He had her right where he wanted her. She was crumbling in his clutches. Just one touch and she withered like a tender flower. _

_One gloved hand, the other bare. Stroking the smooth porcelain skin, her breathing growing heavy._

_She began to speak and he'd listen intently to every word. In the back of her mind, something was telling her this was terribly, terribly wrong. But his searing touches set her ablaze. She couldn't help but want more…give in to the lust._

…

I was close; but the closer I got, the more wary I suddenly became. I was approaching a certain tent I thought I'd never return to. It was one of the first-tier members' tents.

My steps became much quieter now and for some reason, my pulse began to rise.

_This is bad. Turn around. You'll get caught._

My worse judgment took over those better thoughts, however, the curiosity getting the best of me.

My skin began to crawl but I ignored it. The voice in my head got louder but I ignored it. I wanted to see him.

_Close your eyes._

It was not until my feet stopped right near the tent where his scent was the strongest. A smile spread on my lips and my hand reached out.

"_Ahh_…"

I heard a woman's voice.

Every part of my body froze. I listened closely.

"You can tell me…there's no need to hold back..."

That was Sebastian's voice.

"Why do you…ahh…" The woman moaned again.

No, I definitely heard wrong. It sounded like…

"That man is blind…you truly are exquisite. How could he ever deny you?" The demon's voice sounded so different. I almost couldn't recognize him. Maybe it was because I…

There was a small gap between the flaps of the tent. I feared what I would see in there, but again, that horrible side of me urged me on. So I looked.

I saw.

And everything turned gray. Every part of me grew numb.

He was with her.

He was with _her._

I didn't understand.

I couldn't think straight.

The only thing my mind could register was what I was seeing. It was only mere fragments but it was enough for me to piece things together.

More moans. More sweet whispers. More pleads. More pleasure.

This couldn't be happening right? No, no, no.

_But it was. It was all too real._

I couldn't stand to see or _hear _this anymore. I had to move. I had to get out of here.

My body wouldn't budge and I inwardly shouted at my frozen limbs.

_Get out of here! Go!_

Just like that, my body started functioning again and I quietly stepped away, as far away as I could from that horrid scene.

And then I ran. Ran all the way back to nowhere.

I avoided bumping into things as I distanced myself from that image, already regretting my actions.

I should have stayed where I was. I never should have left.

I didn't think I was breathing yet at all. My legs carried me on like they always did when my mind was overwhelmed.

_Run. Run. Run._

I kept going, everything speeding past me in a blur. Numerous tents zoomed by my vision. Everything looked the same. Nothing made sense at that moment. It was all just one huge blur that seemed to swallow me whole.

I think I passed by the reaper, but I wasn't so sure. I even sped past Eva's tent, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to be alone, far away from everybody.

Then, I finally stopped in a very distant, desolate area. I think this was where he took me. This was where he let me drink his blood again. This was where he…

I collapsed against a large crate and slid down to the ground. I curled my knees up close to my chest. Settling down, that's when I finally took a breath.

My breathing was shaky, heavy even. I was so tempted to let it all go again. Just fall into a million tiny pieces. But I didn't.

I just felt painfully numb. I couldn't move once more. My whole body felt stiff.

_"Say it…tell me…there's no need to hold back..."_

_"No...I...ahh…mm…"_

Maybe my mind was warping what I had heard, but right now, I just felt absolutely sick. All his touches, all his words, all his smiles, they were _fake_ the whole time. Fake, fake, _fake_.

Damn it…Damn it! I did it again. I fell hard and then I fall harder on my face. I never learned. _I never learned._

I suddenly wanted to rewind everything. Get the smell of him off of me. It was strange, really. It had been a struggle to get ahold of his scent, and now, for some odd reason, his scent was the only thing that flooded my senses.

God, I felt sick. I-

I turned my head and out of nowhere, blood began seeping out of my mouth. I was vomiting, but I couldn't feel the pressure. Couldn't feel the physical pain.

Wiping my mouth, the back of my hand was smeared in nothing but red. A small pool of blood lay under me and I quickly turned away, grasping my spinning head, fingers clawing into my scalp.

There were no tears like I thought there would be. Just blood, just the one thing that I needed but hated with every part of me.

So I sat there, unwilling to move, not until the night was over. For just one long moment, I needed isolation.

Through my hazy mind, the numbness that I felt, the zombie-like motions that took over my body, I think I heard him.

I think I heard _him_ laughing at me.


	33. Cancer

**Thanks to _VampireSiren_, _Elisabeth O neill_, _Deona Lindholm_, _I'mDoneDreaming77_, _MrsGooglyBear_, _Sarafinja_, _KHRLover1997_, _Princesa de la Luna_, _Knyttet_, and _Musse_ for the awesome commentary on the previous chapter! All of your reactions put a gigantic smile on my face, ha-ha!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The brunette roused from her sleep early that morning. Rubbing her eyes free of sand and letting out one big yawn, the girl glanced down at the boy who still lay in rest beside her. She smiled, glad that he didn't shoo her away when she had snuck onto his bed the night before. She hated sleeping alone; and she was far too worried about him to stay in their tent by herself anyway.

She carefully moved her limbs off her side of the bed, and it was only when her mind was coming to full alert did she sense there was another presence in the room. Lifting her head, she let out a beginning of a shriek before she clamped a hand over her mouth just as quickly. Her movements, however, couldn't react fast enough and she ended up crashing to the ground in a clumsy heap.

Her hand peeked up from the other side of the bed and she grasped onto the mattress, briskly scrambling half of her body up. Her gaze focused on the source of her fright-my silent form beside Ciel's side.

"Blimey, I didn't know you were there! Were you here the whole night?!" Freckles exclaimed in a hushed tone, stealing glances at Ciel, who was beginning to stir in his sleep.

I clenched my fingers into the skin of my palm, forcing myself to answer. "No, I just popped in here a few minutes ago before you woke up. I didn't mean to scare you."

Freckles placed a hand over her heart, taking in a few breaths to calm herself. "Okay…but gosh! You were still and quiet as a stone!"

All emotion was wiped from my face then and I didn't bother forcing any more words out of my mouth. Thankfully, Freckles was the type who didn't pay much mind to anything in full detail and so, she went on, standing to her feet and combing out the tangles of her hair with her fingers before informing me she was heading to breakfast.

With a wave of her hand and one last grin, she tip-toed a few steps from Ciel's bed until she all but sprinted out the infirmary.

"You look terrible."

That sudden voice shook me out of my detached state and I turned my attention to the young Earl, who had woken from his slumber despite our attempt to stay relatively quiet.

My lips twitched ever so slightly and I shrugged. "It would seem so. Though you look better, Young Master."

He narrowed his visible eye, examining the paleness of my skin and wondering in his head if it were possible that I had gotten paler. Faint, dark smudges tainted the corners of my mouth and though he didn't want to be obvious, he couldn't help but stare, getting more suspicious with me.

"Are you…all right?" he asked slowly.

I raised an eyebrow and gave a barely audible chuckle. "You're asking me? What about you? Let me see…"

I placed my hand on his forehead and he closed his eyes once I made contact, letting out an almost content sigh.

"It seems your fever is going down, well, at least not as burning hot as last night," I reassured him, moving and patting my hand over his face.

Just as I was about to withdraw, his fingers suddenly shot up, clamping over my wrist and keeping my hand firmly planted on his warm forehead.

"My lord…?" I whispered, tilting my head to look at him more closely.

He avoided my eyes and directed his attention to some distant corner behind me. "Don't move your hand until I tell you to."

I stared at him for a long moment and soon noticed his cheeks were getting redder than they already were. The initial bit of shock I felt was soon replaced with amusement and a small smile broke on my lips.

"Oh my, if I recall, you were offended by my touch not too long ago. You didn't want me coming anywhere near you." I couldn't help but tease him, knowing he'd get more flustered.

As expected, he attempted to growl but it ended up in coughs instead. He still avoided my gaze, simply telling me to shut up, like he always did. I knew the real reason anyway; I guessed there was some use to having cold fingers after all.

I stayed quiet, not wanting to speak much regardless, but his command of 'silence' was broken when he pestered me about not answering his question.

I lied, telling him that I was merely suffering lack of sleep. I knew I shouldn't have, but there was no way I would spill my petty problems to him. He had enough to deal with as it is, and his illness was only making things worse.

He seemed to sense I wasn't telling the truth, but thankfully, he didn't push it. Instead, he changed the subject, asking me something I thought he wouldn't care to bring up. "Were you able to find who you were looking for?" he inquired, now meeting my eyes with a soft, but serious look.

At the thought of her, a true smile spread on my lips and I nodded proudly. "Yes, I sure did. I was lucky and I'm grateful that you allowed me to tag along so that I could."

Ciel scoffed and turned on his side to face me. "Whoever that person is must be very important to you…"

A thought struck me when he said that, and the heaviness from before set back in. Could I ask him? It was a far stretch, and I knew that now was the not the ideal time to impose such a request on him. But I had to try. If it didn't work, then there was only one last option left.

"It's almost unbelievable how much I care about her…and…" I stopped, still hesitating on whether I should say it or not.

Ciel narrowed his eye at me again, waiting for me to finish. Using the last few seconds to think over my words, I took a deep breath and continued. "I know this may be too much to ask but…"

"What is it? Just say what's on your mind," he demanded, his patience dwindling as he let out a low cough.

"I was wondering if I could take my friend along with us when we return to the townhouse," I finished without letting any apparent emotion show.

Ciel looked a bit perplexed and he reached his hand up, removing mine from atop his head. Now that my hand was free, it joined the other in an anxious grip on my lap.

"You want to bring her along? And why is that? What exactly is her position here?" he questioned, and I could tell he was already fighting the idea.

"She is merely a backstage worker, a person they picked up off the street, like most everyone here, I suppose. The living conditions here are rough, as you know, and I just can't bear to leave her here, leave her behind again. She won't be able to-"

Ciel shook his head and I immediately stopped, my mouth closing into a firm line. He began to speak. "You know that it's not..."

I stood up from the crate I had been sitting on, cutting him off as well. It was rude of me, but I couldn't stand to hear what I knew he was about to say. There was no other choice.

"It's all right, Young Master. I'm sorry to have even mentioned it. Please excuse me," I stated quickly and made for the exit.

I shouldn't have even come here in the first place. I had wanted to check on him, but I shouldn't have even bothered. There was already someone else far more capable anyway. He was well protected, and trying to convince him to give in to my request was absolute ludicrous.

I was too overwhelmed with my thoughts to sense what was just arriving to the infirmary. Once I was outside, I was able to walk a few feet until I was forced to a stop by a firm hand gripping my wrist. I didn't dare turn around, didn't _want_ to. I knew exactly who it was and right now, the fact that he was touching me made my insides turn in sickening ways.

His fingers were bare, ungloved, _tainted _with the scent and feel of that vile woman. All my emotions were going to go out of control the longer he held onto me. Before he could tighten his grip and attempt to pull me back, I managed to tear my wrist out of his grasp, earning angry claw marks on my arm in the process.

As long as I was able to keep calm and stay as far away from him as possible, I seriously didn't give a damn.

Ciel didn't call after me once and I was already running before I could get the chance to hear if that demon had said anything.

Nothing, I didn't hear a word.

All I could hear was the echoes of that laughter I heard in the dead of night. The vampire's menacing laughter that resonated deep into my bones.

* * *

Eva was staring at me like I had gone crazy and I didn't blame her. But I wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"You what?" she blurted, her uninjured eye growing wide in shock.

"You heard me," I said sternly. "You and I are getting out of here. There's no real reason for you to keep working here, not when I can help get you home."

Her frown deepened and she continued to become more doubtful. "Janelle…I-I can't. I can't just drop everything and go with you."

"Why not? Would this circus truly care if they lost you? Did they really treat you well like they do the rest of them?" I asked, clutching her shoulders. Taking notice to what I was saying, I sounded desperate and cruel. I was driven by anger it seemed, not by a noble cause. Would it even be considered noble anyway? My mind was still badly shaken. I feared almost anything could trigger me to insanity.

She didn't answer me right away, choosing to keep her gaze firmly on the ground. I let out a deep sigh and let her go, lowering my tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't let you voice how you feel. I was just so set on getting you out of here on my own-"

"It's not that…" she began and met my eyes. "But would it really work? Would we really be able to go home?"

I couldn't help but smile at her hopefulness. "Yes, I'll be sure of it. No matter what happens, you'll be out of harm's way."

Those haunting cackles were trying to convince me otherwise, but I shoved them to the darkest corner of my mind. My determination was stronger than that; _he_ was not going to mess with my head again.

She gave a tentative nod. "So…a-are we leaving right this instant?"

I took her hand in mine, giving a reassuring squeeze. "The sooner the better, especially at a time when no one can stop us."

Eva almost began to smile, the true sense of escaping setting in. "This is a bit scary… But at the same time, I'm excited," she admitted, a tiny spark appearing in her eyes.

"Do you need to take anything with you?" I asked, glancing around our tent.

"No. I've never had anything but myself," she replied, hugging her arms.

I grasped her shoulders again, looking her straight in the eye. "Now, do you have any more doubts? You're positive about going through with this?"

"If I had any doubts, I'll just tell myself that as long as you're with me, it'll be okay…" she stated honestly.

A sense of relief flowed through me. We could do it. We could finally-

A soft coughing broke the brief silence between us and we turned to the entrance of the tent.

"Janelle?" a small voice rang out, accompanied by more wheezing sounds.

I took hold of Eva's wrist; waiting for who I knew would enter. In the next second, the demon butler came in, with his master cradled safely in his arms. I made sure not to meet those red eyes of his, though I could already feel his piercing gaze on me. It made me shiver with discontent and my grasp on the frail girl behind me tightened.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" I asked, once again taking up an impassive front.

Ciel opened his mouth to answer, but due to his weakened lungs, he underwent another round of coughs. During his fit, he nudged his butler, signaling the demon to speak for him.

"We've finished our business here. We'll be heading back to the townhouse now," Sebastian replied in his polite tone, though strangely enough, it was missing its usual charm. Since I was avoiding looking at his face altogether, keeping my line of vision on Ciel instead, I couldn't tell what he was feeling outright.

But once again, what did it matter?

I didn't reply, and I could feel Eva's arm moving uncomfortably in my grasp. She must have felt the tension.

"Well, are you coming with us? We haven't got time to waste," the butler continued on, more sternly.

I closed my eyes for one moment, trying to keep my cool. "Forgive me but…I'm not going. I'm staying here."

Even if I wasn't looking at the demon, I could imagine him raising his eyebrow in question, scowling while he was at it. "Oh? Why is that?"

He was smart enough to know my reason, I was sure. Still, I played along.

"Just because. It's all right. Head on back without me," I stated plainly, turning back to Eva, who looked mildly confused.

She searched my eyes for an answer to her questions and I could tell that she was suspecting something off out about the two males behind me. But I gave no hints and so she was left in the dark for now.

"Bring her along."

My eyes widened at those words, not believing it for a second. I slowly turned back around, gaze focused on the young Lord, who was adjusting the scarf round his neck.

"Did…you say…" I whispered, trailing off.

Ciel let out an aggravated growl and glared. "Don't make me say things twice! Just hurry and take her, before I change my mind!" With that, the Earl suffered another coughing fit and Sebastian patted him lightly on the back in response.

I spared a quick glance at the butler then, seeing that there was a small smile gracing his lips as he continued his delicate attempt at relieving his master.

"I'm sorry, my lord. And…thank you," I said quietly, giving a bow of my head.

Ciel merely nodded in response, keeping a fist near his mouth. "Let us go, Sebastian."

The butler turned, exiting the tent promptly while I faced Eva again, who was now free to speak.

"I don't understand. Where are we going?" she breathed, her confusion taking a new peak.

"I'll explain later, Eva. For now, this is our chance to escape," I replied to her, and she chose to follow through, putting her trust in me.

I briskly led her outside and spotted the tall butler not too far from us. Keeping my firm grasp on her, we followed them. Along the way, I noticed Eva looking over her shoulder a few times with uncertainty; as if she was worried someone would see us or know right away that she was missing. A new thought struck me and a hint of guilt began to spring up as well.

"Was there anyone important to you here…if you wanted to say goodbye…" I started.

Eva shook her head with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry your little head, Janelle. If I had wanted to say goodbye, they'd never let me go."

I gave a slight nod and turned my attention back up front. "Yes, you're absolutely right."

Up ahead, I saw William standing beside one of the tents. The butler exchanged brief words with him, which the reaper seemed to dismiss with his aloof attitude.

I didn't want to see him, of all people. I was sure that if given the chance, he'd want to rub it all in my face.

_"A pathetic creature like you? Of course you deserve it. What would you expect from associating with a savage beast?"_

I honestly didn't need berating; the voices in my head did that enough. So I kept walking, avoiding his watchful gaze along the way. To my surprise though, it was Eva who chose to acknowledge him as she passed the stoic reaper.

"Farewell, Suit," she uttered politely, and I looked over my shoulder to see her smiling at the man as well.

I wondered if the girl ever truly had a one-on-one encounter with him. She could have just been friendly, and seeing as my eyes betrayed me, they landed on the reaper intently for his response. Though he didn't make it obvious, her parting words seemed to have caught him off guard. His broad shoulders had barely flinched; one would have to squint to see it.

As usual though, he didn't bother sparing us a glance, merely keeping his gaze focused elsewhere while pushing up those blasted spectacles of his. Figuring he was going to ignore us, I gave a light scoff and turned away, pulling Eva forward. Yet just before we were completely out of earshot, the reaper did indeed spare a few words.

"Much needed luck to you ladies," William declared plainly, his voice seeming to echo in my ears, along with everything else.

I didn't think Eva heard him, since she was humming a peaceful tune to herself, entering her own dream land. Clearly, those words were more aimed at me than her.

* * *

Returning back to the townhouse, the four of us couldn't get away without an ear full of a peeved Prince Soma, who had been deathly worried about Ciel's absence over the past two days. Eva had been following me blind, and the further we had traveled into London, the more baffled she became. I had to practically drag her inside the Phantomhive townhouse due to her resistance. She was too stunned and anxious; her grip on my hand would have turned my skin blue if I were still mortal.

The usual quarrel between Ciel and Soma went on, but mostly, the prince's loud demanding was all my sensitive ears could hear. Every shout made me wince and I opted to count the seconds that passed until it was over.

"It's nothing, get out of my way!"

"Like hell I'm believing that! You definitely have a cold! Do you have a fever-"

"My temperature's fine! _I'm _perfectly fine!"

"Liar-HEY! Ciel!"

One inevitable door slam later, the silence befell the four of us remaining and Soma was left to grumble at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah right! There's no way I'm letting Ciel get away so easily this time! Absolutely not!" Soma declared and began marching up the steps.

"Prince, wait a moment!" Agni intervened and grabbed the back of the royal's shirt, pulling him down.

"Agni?! What is the meaning of this?! I demand you to-"

Soma stopped when he saw his butler press a finger to his lips, signaling him to quiet down before pointing to my figure standing at the entrance.

"Eh? It's just that woman! Why should I care?" Soma stated in his usual manner towards my presence.

Agni shook his head. "I'm not referring to Miss Janelle, my prince, though I insisted you should be kinder to her…"

The prince let out a groan and rolled his eyes. "Do I _have _to? And anyway-oh!" He realized who Agni meant and laying eyes on her, he froze. He didn't understand why he was suddenly rooted to the ground, but to him, time seemed to stop for a mere moment.

"A guest? Shall we go and greet her, my prince? Prince?"

The royal hadn't paid any mind to his servant's voice just yet. His words had been muted by his numbed state. He swallowed, and once he did so, time continued at a normal rate and his foot moved forward, past his concerned butler.

Meanwhile, I was trying to get Eva to calm down. She was having a panic attack and I suppose it was only normal. She was intimidated by this whole new environment, a much more prestigious one compared to the ones she was forced in all these years.

"Eva, look at me. It's okay; you don't have to be so nervous," I tried to tell her, grabbing both sides of her face in my hands.

She shook her head, hyperventilating. "What's going on? I don't understand! Why are we here? Who are those two, _really_? You lied to me, Janelle! You lied! They-they're not…"

I shushed her but her eyes wouldn't meet mine, choosing to scatter all over the place instead. "I know, and I'm sorry, but it had to be done. I couldn't blow their cover. Listen to me-Eva! Listen!"

She stared into my eyes, a hint of anger underneath her anxiety. I waited until she was able to retain her normal breathing pattern before continuing on. "I still can't go into too much detail, but I'll tell you the basics. You have to trust me, okay? There's nothing to worry about."

Eva looked wary at first. "I…I don't feel right here…"

I caressed her cheek. "I know; it's scary at first. Believe me; I felt the same way when they took me in. But it won't be for too long, I promise."

"_Hey_."

The abrupt voice interrupted us and I turned around to see Prince Soma, his demeanor having dumbed down considerably. He was strangely calm, serious in fact, and he wasn't looking at me.

"Hello prince, I thought you were going after the Young Master," I said but he ignored my statement.

Instead, the royal tilted his head, pointing a finger at my friend. "Who is she? Why is she here?"

Eva flinched in response and grew uncomfortable under his intent gaze. I, however, was not surprised by his bluntness. "Prince Soma, do you recall our talk in the library back at the manor-the one where you mentioned about Meena?"

Soma frowned a bit, crossing his arms. "Hmm…yeah, I remember. It was terrible. What about it?"

I was tempted to slap my forehead, but disregarded the urge and went on to say, "Do you remember anything _else_ you and I talked about?"

"About how scary Sebastian is? About how creepy _you_ are?" He threw out randomly, looking up at an invisible thinking cloud above his head. "Oh! I remember how you snuck up on me in the dark! You know, I'm still mad at you for that! Actually, I'll always be mad at you-"

"Focus!" I cut in, my eyebrow twitching at his rambling.

He shut his eyes, rubbing his index fingers against his temples as if he were stimulating some type of energy into his brain. I heard Eva snickering and I turned to see she was stifling her laughter with a hand clasped over her mouth, a hint of rosiness returning to her bony cheeks.

"Think, think, think…oh! You told me that you were searching for someone, but then that someone found you, and now…" He spoke with his hands as they moved from one side to the other until it finally hit him. "Wait! That means…" He returned his gaze to Eva, whose blush darkened.

"This is…her?" he asked me and I nodded.

"You've a wonderful memory, prince, despite being a bit scatter-brained," I teased a little.

He was about to throw a comeback for the minor insult but stopped himself, choosing to clear his throat instead. I stepped aside as he approached Eva and took hold of her hand, eliciting a startled gasp from her.

He introduced himself in a rather enthusiastic manner, clutching her small hand in between his warm, unlabored hands and although Eva was shocked for words at first, a giggle soon escaped her and looking closely, I could see that the prince was blushing. He was _blushing_?

"I'm Eva Callaway. I-I've never met a real prince before…" she replied shyly, her eyes glowing in awe.

Soma gave a proud grin. "Well, I'm honored to be the first one! And _the best_, might I add!"

I rolled my eyes at his boastful comment when Agni came by my side. "Miss Janelle, may I ask what happened to the both of you? Pardon me for saying this, but you two look in terrible shape!"

Eva self-consciously raised a hand to her black eye, her gaze breaking from the prince whereas I was reminded of all that happened over a course of merely two days. It had felt so long despite the short span of time.

"We got into some trouble…personal issues, my fault really-" I started but was cut off by Eva's stern glare.

"No it's not! It was just a horrible man who did this to us!" she blurted out without thinking of how the two Indians would react.

Soma's golden eyes flared with anger and Agni's forehead creased with more worry. "What?! What man?! Who-"

"Please, my prince, calm down," Agni cut in, clasping Soma's shoulders from behind and easing his aggression. The Indian butler could tell by the look on my face that it was a matter the two shouldn't dive into. "We needn't worry about that. For now, the ladies need to recuperate, just as Lord Ciel does."

Agni then stepped forward, giving a warm smile to my friend. "What you need is some nourishment, you look absolutely famished!"

Eva grew uncertain. "I-I'm actually fine-"

"Oh, if I hear the word '_fine_' one more time, I swear I'll run down the streets of London with a pair of Ciel's underwear as a flag!" Soma spat with crossed arms.

"I'm fine, _really_ Prince Soma," I challenged him with a smirk and the royal immediately turned on me with an aggravated growl.

Agni sighed and wrapped one arm around Soma's neck, not so hard, but tight enough for the prince to start spouting more complaints. "How about some of Mister Sebastian's famous Curry Doughnuts? That will certainly brighten everyone's mood!"

Eva smiled and was about to reply when the door of Ciel's room opened and the footsteps of the butler and the Earl came tumbling down the stairs.

Soma immediately broke free from Agni's grasp and raced towards the young Lord, ready to prevent him from leaving. The Indian butler gave another tired sigh, promising he'd come back to us later and caught up to his prince's side.

"Those two seem to be good and kind people. You're lucky to have met them," Eva commented while the ruckus went on.

I placed an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, but I think my luck is starting to run out."

* * *

The day went by in a flash and soon, I was sitting by the windowsill in one of the guest rooms. Alone in the middle of the night once more.

Most of the light hours were a blur to me, mostly because I chose to shut out again. True to his word, Eva was well taken care of by Agni while Soma was busy nursing Ciel back to optimum health. The Indian butler had even offered to clean my blood-splattered dress as well, though I declined, not wanting to burden him. Having washed out the stains and repaired the ripped sections on my own, the dress was nearly good as new and now laid out to dry. He gave me a spare nightgown found in the closets of another room to wear in the meantime.

Honestly, I couldn't thank Agni enough. Men like him; I wish there were more of. No lies, no betrayal, no heartbreak…

The moonlight shone brightly on the cobblestoned street and I watched a stray dog barking in the dead silence before running off to the distance. I wished I was that dog. For the first time since I was taken in as part of the Phantomhive staff, I felt trapped. It was the same type of feeling whenever _he_ decided to show up. Bad sign. After all this time, I still wasn't fit to be here.

Then it hit me. All these sudden thoughts were because of him. All because of one single_ demon_.

I had to get out of here, get some fresh air into my system.

I wasted no time; my limbs moved automatically. Next thing I knew, I was standing right before the door, my hand on the knob. I turned it and opened the door, shocked to find how little effort I had to put into it until I knew why. Right before me was the man I had been successful in avoiding most of the day, his hand clasping the other side of the door. I didn't have time to hide my emotions, the horror was written all over my face.

With the next impulse, I attempted to move past him but to no avail. His arm was wrapped around my waist from the front and he gently pushed me further back into the room as he closed the door with his foot.

I immediately pried his arm off me and stepped away from him, clenching my jaw and glowering at the ground. I watched his black shoes come near, and with each step I took another backwards till I met an unfortunate end. The back of my knees met the end of the bed and I lost balance, falling backwards. Once again, he prevented me from falling and caught hold of my wrist, but before he could reel me in any closer, I reached an arm out and pushed him as hard as I could.

He didn't seem affected by my shove at all, but at least he let go of me. I could see his eyes flashing in the dark and before he could attempt to come near me again, I spoke.

"_Don't_ touch me. _Stay away from me_," I snapped, feeling the fires coiling inside me.

"My, what's gotten into you? Are you craving for blood? Would you like me to relieve your pain, dear?" he questioned in a most playful tone, his irises becoming more vibrant with amusement.

I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it, cutting the distance between us in a flash and cupping my chin in his gloved hand. I allowed my rage to take hold of me, my sharp fangs bared and my eyes burning red.

"How delightful. You do realize I enjoy seeing you angry like this…" Sebastian smirked, his demonic irises revealing themselves in contrast with mine.

I was so damn sick of his games. With all my might, I wrenched his grip off me and lifted my right hand, smacking him across the face and hoping I made some sort of damage. No such luck, he hadn't even stumbled backwards. His head was turned to the left, and when he faced me again, I saw that his pale cheek bore a red mark. His sly smile was still there, growing wider in the process.

"Are you satis-"

I slapped him again for good measure, harder this time too. When he turned to me, his cheek had gotten redder and this time, his smirk was wiped away. Good, but not that it mattered. I was still mad.

His red eyes glistened in the moonlight that spilled into the room. He had the nerve to chuckle, bringing his palm up to his bruised cheek. "Interesting. I figured I'd see this side of you against me some day, but I never imagined it would be so soon. I quite like it actu-"

"Stop that! Just _stop_!" I shouted, effectively cutting him off. His eyes widened slightly at my outburst and he lowered his hand, waiting for what I had to say.

I let it all go.

"You've had your fun right? I think I've 'entertained' you enough! That was all I ever was to you. Just a toy you could play with for your own twisted amusement!" I snapped, feeling a lump coming on in my throat.

Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as quickly. I must have been right; he was hesitating.

"I was such a fool to think that any of that was true…You were just using me the whole time." I laughed bitterly. "Of course, of course! What did I expect? People were telling me I was stupid and to run away, but I never listened. You know why? Because I…I actually thought that you were…"

I swallowed hard. "…you were…different…"

I briskly stepped away and turned back to the window, hiding the pain that was stabbing at my lungs.

"Just go away. There are other toys, why don't you go and bother them? They've got to be more fun than me."

My voice was withering and I wanted to end in silence. Become mute, just as I did when Percival broke me. Maybe this time, I truly would never speak again.

The silence didn't last long enough. The demon wasn't allowing it. Despite any further protests, the butler grabbed me into his arms from behind. He anticipated I would struggle, using his demonic strength to keep me imprisoned against his body. All I could do was stay and be forced to hear what he had to say in return.

"I never realized you thought so lowly of me, Janelle." His voice was deeper and frightening. I set him off and the stronger he held me just proved that. He could easily break me in half, but it seemed he was barely holding back his strength. He wanted me to feel pain, and pain did I feel indeed. My breathing was shaky and irregular as he continued to speak.

"I disregard most insults from other people, but yours I could never overlook as easily. If you were anyone else, I would tear your throat out. Enjoy exploring the gorgeous insides…" he said smoothly into my ear. His gloved fingers wrapped around my neck, his fingers dancing along the tender skin.

My eyes were unblinking, frozen like the dead. My lips parted, but no sound came out. My body didn't tremble when his right hand traveled over my form, feeling the curves under the thin fabric of my nightgown, the only barrier in the way of him ravishing my skin to his heart's content.

"But I won't do that. I could never do that. I would do so to any other woman, those 'toys' as you so put it. The one at the circus for instance…"

He knew all along-the reason why I was furious and upset. The reason why I didn't want to have anything to do with him any longer. And yet here he was, keeping me here with him, pulling me back into his grasp. Was this where I belonged?

"She meant absolutely nothing to me. You're a smart woman, Janelle. You should know that I was using _her. _She had the information I needed. She was merely a piece in the game, allowing me to help my master's case."

His bangs brushed against my cheek as he nestled himself closer. "I admit to using the same tactic on other women in the past. It is merely a tool we demons use, that's all. Now I realize what you may be thinking, but listen closely…"

His arm rested below my breasts, clenching me so tight, I could almost feel every contour of his slim body against me.

"All of those women were nothing but toys. There was no meaning whatsoever. But what you and I have, it's different. You are not a toy, Janelle…"

His soft lips brushed against my ear and he whispered his final words. "_You are my mate_."

I stopped breathing all together. My mind was spinning. All the pain I felt disappeared, leaving me colder than ice. It was like a thousand of his polished knives had punctured right through me. I couldn't feel anything else, not even the warmth of his body that I had grown attached to…

He had to tell me this now? He was honestly playing _that_ card? How could he keep messing with my feelings like this? He was so cruel, _so cruel_. God, why couldn't he just kill me instead?

This was just a taste of the seduction he used on all those women. A brilliant actor, he was. He never seemed to grow tired of it.

_Let go of me. _

I finally stirred in his grasp and to my relief, his arms loosened; his hand removed from my neck, the warmth of his body disappearing. I slowly turned and faced him. All he saw was pure anger in my eyes, all other favorable emotions nonexistent. He didn't give an apparent reaction, for he too hid everything else from me. I spoke again.

"_I hate you_."

He felt a numbing throb in his chest at that declaration. He recalled me saying that once before, but at that time, it didn't mean a thing. It was just playful banter. But now, the statement was heavier, sharper, real.

"Just leave. You make me sick." I didn't sound like myself. It was the other side of me, the monster side that spoke.

He took steps backwards from me, his face blank and unfeeling. It seemed he was thinking of one last response, and when he did, that smirk of his returned to his lips and his eyes glistened dark red in the shadows, like blood.

"You don't mean it."

With those words, he turned away and I may have imagined the brief hint of remorse in his eyes before he walked towards the door. I couldn't help but count the number of steps he took, couldn't help but wish they stopped. The turning of the knob resonated in my ears, and the soft slam of the door seemed to last forever in the horrible silence.

I sunk to my knees once he was gone. Lowered my body to the ground in the glow of the moonlight and stayed there. My legs curled and my arms locked against my chest. I hid my face from view, shutting my eyes and entering the pitch black.

The ringing in my ears didn't stop.

* * *

It was still night when I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open. I uncoiled my limbs and found that they were stiffer than usual. I certainly didn't move at all, for what seemed like hours…

No, something wasn't right. I turned my head to the window behind me and saw that the moon was shadowed by the clouds. This wasn't the same night. It was then I realized I had actually slept through nearly an entire day.

I didn't move right away, allowing my senses to reach their full potential. Once I got back on my feet, I crossed over to the bed, shedding the borrowed nightgown and throwing on my dress. I grasped the door knob, a cursed flashback appearing in my mind, and exited the room, racing down the hall to the stairs.

"The midget fooled me again! When he comes back, he is so going to get it!" I heard the prince shout. There didn't seem to be a time when he wasn't complaining about something.

"I'm still completely shocked that Smile is actually _the_ Earl Phantomhive. I never imagined he was that young!" Eva's voice was much quieter, but I was able to catch on to every word.

"Indeed, he's a very mature and independent young man. I'm glad he gave you permission to stay here for the time being," Agni replied.

I climbed down the rest of the stairs, following their voices and reaching the kitchen, where the three of them were sitting at the table, chatting over tea.

Eva was the first to notice me and she sprang up from her seat, racing towards me. "Janelle! How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. What about you?" I asked and examined her. She seemed to have gained a bit of color to her face, but of course, not much changed in just a day.

"Have you been hibernating upstairs this whole time?" Soma remarked, narrowing his eyes at me over his cup.

"Like a bear," I replied, tone dripping with contempt.

Eva giggled playfully at Soma's frown before returning to her seat, engaging in a game of cards with the royal.

The Indian butler noticed I was fairly distracted, my head turning left and right as if I was looking for something, and he had an idea of the questions in my head.

"The two of them left about an hour ago," Agni stated, bringing me out of my muddled mind.

I brushed some hair out of my face. "I see. Are they going to finish the investigation?"

"I am not completely sure, to be quite honest. But the look on Lord Ciel's face tells me he will accomplish his mission very soon," he said with a warm smile.

I sighed, watching Eva and Soma talking in low voices while they advanced into their card game. Agni couldn't help but sense there was something off about me. "Miss Janelle, would you like some tea? I'm sure it will soothe your mind."

I gave a vague shake of my head. "I'm going to return to the manor now."

Agni's eyes widened as he watched me turn and head towards the entrance of the townhouse. He followed me and barely caught my arm as soon as I stepped outside.

"Isn't it a bit too late to be heading back now? It's dark too, it could be dangerous!" he warned me with a look of concern.

I stared blankly at the streets before facing him. "Don't worry about me, Mister Agni. I'm capable of taking care of myself. And also…" I turned fully to him and gave a genuine smile. "I sincerely appreciate all that you have done for Eva and me. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

He chuckled and gave a small bow. "It's the least I can do; no need for any payment. I just want you two and the prince to be happy. Making sure you are all well brings me to peace." He then stood up straight, exhaling lightly. "If you truly insist on leaving, I suppose I can't stop you."

I lowered my head to him in respect. "Thank you."

He didn't leave my side at once though, calling for a carriage to come and take me to the manor. He wouldn't stand for me walking on foot all the way back.

Once I got settled into the carriage seat, he caught my hand again, stopping me to say a few more words.

"Mister Sebastian made me promise to tell you something," he said suddenly. I was almost surprised to see the rare, serious expression on his face.

"Yes, what is it?" I was hesitant to hear what the demon butler had to say.

"He said to be careful, watch out for yourself, and that he'll come back to you soon," Agni announced, his kind smile returning.

I frowned, though a spark of warmth rose inside me. I didn't answer right away and Agni continued with his own commentary. "I didn't realize Mister Sebastian cared so deeply for you. I could tell by the look in his eyes when he told me that."

Oh Agni, he was too good at reading people. But he didn't realize he was tricked by a demon.

"It's not real…" I muttered and the Indian butler didn't quite hear me. I brushed it off, asking him to take care of Eva for me while I was gone. Being the dutiful man he was, he promised me he would, and with a few parting statements, he let go of my hand. The carriage rolled forward, the townhouse becoming smaller with the distance.

A few miles along the way, my head leaned against the side of the carriage, my gaze focused outside the window. Despite how many faces I saw, the buildings that passed, the lamplights that burned my eyes, I still couldn't erase him from my mind. It seemed that with every waking moment, he managed to crawl into my brain like a maggot, infesting my thoughts and lingering there like a tumor.

"_You don't mean it."_

He took joy in making me doubt myself, especially when he was right.


	34. Disaster

**Thank you to _VampireSiren_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _Princesa de la Luna_, _fencergal19_, _MrsGooglyBear_, _Sarafinja_, _piplup225_, and _Dantes-Silent-Huntress_ for the fantastic reviews! And I did it DSH! I made it before Saturday (US time, anyway…)! Anyway, for this chapter, hopefully I did the finale of the circus arc justice. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

His butler was acting strange; the Earl knew that much. Ever since that morning, he was quite aware that something was wrong. Despite how perfect and prompt he was with his daily duties, the young Lord could sense a difference in his mood. Perhaps it was because of the strength of their close bond that allowed him to see this, but whether or not it was so, the butler couldn't hide anything from his master.

He had an idea about the cause of this discreet change, and it disturbed him greatly. Yet as of that moment, he didn't bother dwelling into the matter.

In exactly one hour, the demon was able to take the young Lord to the culprit's manor. Baron Kelvin, the 'Father' to the first-tier members of the Noah's Ark circus. The man whose name the butler sought to acquire and the man whose face appeared in all of those photos the Earl had come across.

Ciel examined his butler closely as he addressed him. The demon did well in hiding his emotions and thoughts; it was as if nothing could ever faze him in the slightest. But the boy knew better, he could almost feel it burning in the eye that held their contract.

Sebastian heard every word his master uttered, but his answers were automatic. The demon would admit to himself that his mind wandered from time to time, more often than usual, but with each order given, of course he was forced to push all else away as if they had never existed, concentrating on the task at hand.

As they walked towards the entrance of the mansion, closer to the lost children, closer to the end of it all, one flitting thought passed the demon's mind. The doors opened and before them stood the once cheerful host of the circus, who now seemed like a different person entirely.

"Welcome to the Baron's home. We've been waiting for you, Earl Phantomhive," Joker spoke with a bow, his usual grin vacant from his face.

Just as the Earl wished to end this investigation as quickly as possible, the demon couldn't help but find he was thinking the same thing.

* * *

I found myself waking up from a deep sleep again. The carriage had encountered a relatively large bump in the road, jolting the entire vehicle. With a sharp gasp, my eyes adjusted to the pitch black that was the inside of the carriage. Nothing but the other seat resided across me, empty and dark with no one else to occupy it.

I exhaled deeply, clutching the dull ache that throbbed in my head. Strange, I was falling asleep more often than ever. It would seem I was succumbing to old habits; being unconscious made me feel like I could escape reality whenever I wanted. However, countless things could happen, including the unfavorable, and right as I looked out the window, I cursed myself. I should have stayed alert the entire time.

The forest surrounding the Phantomhive manor was one I recognized immediately, but while closely examining the current location through the window, scanning the numerous trees that passed, I knew in an instant that we weren't heading to the manor. Had the driver lost his way, made a mistake perhaps? I had no idea of where I was being taken; and to make matters worse, it was getting darker by the minute.

How much time had passed? I dreaded the fact that it had probably been a few hours. It felt like it had been a while. Damn, of all the times to lose consciousness, I certainly had great instincts…

I rose from my seat, grasping onto the handle of the door. I had to get ahold of the driver, tell him we were heading too far in the wrong direction. I turned the handle and opened the door halfway until the carriage came upon another pothole in the road, causing me to lose grip and lurch all the way to the floor. I winced from the harsh collision but snapped to my senses once I found that the carriage was coming to a complete stop.

Moving onto my knees, I crawled towards the door again until I heard faint voices. I froze in place once my fingers curled on the handle. Distant yells and whoops echoed in the dead silence of the night. Those sounds, voices that haunted my mind, were all too familiar, and it brought me back to those times in the dark. Times where I had no will power, times where I just couldn't live without _him _in my life.

A gang of men. Terrible, ruthless men. Humans who were just as bad as any monster.

Of course, fear overtook me, a natural reaction. Not again, why was this happening? Why had the driver taken me here? No, no, don't be naive. He was obviously a part of their crew or in some kind of backdoor deal with them, I reckoned.

Fear washed away to determination. I shouldn't be such a coward. I had nothing to hold me down now, no bastard I was trying to go after. I was stronger than that. Yes, indeed, I wasn't some weak human being anymore, like _he _said. And even if I was still human, it wouldn't stop me from fighting back. I had no one else to rely on but myself. It was always just me.

Those men were getting closer, and soon enough, their gruff voices were clear, every word they spoke catching my upmost attention.

As I thought, they discussed some sort of deal, and according to how desperate the driver sounded, it seemed he had been forced to go through with it. I couldn't tell how many men there were exactly, but putting my senses to good use, I had to assume there were about four or five. Their footsteps thudded against the ground, telling me they were potentially large and strong thugs. Brilliant.

"Well, did ya get one? No lyin' either or I'll put a fucking bullet through 'er head!" one of them spat.

Great, they had a gun. I hated those…

Some of the other men seemed to be gathering on the right side of the carriage, near where I was sitting, murmuring amongst themselves about useless, vulgar topics. I carefully moved closer to the left, making sure I made no noise whatsoever. I didn't know if it was going to be possible to escape out of their sights unnoticed. The men were most definitely on all sides of the carriage at that moment.

The driver had remained silent for a long time, until a cry of pain broke it, scaring some birds hiding in the forest as they fluttered away. One of the men must have struck him. After a short pause, he quietly answered, telling the man he had done what they wanted.

"Good. Better be a good one. A'right, bring 'er here. No funny business, got that?"

The driver must have nodded his head and the men began shuffling elsewhere, gathering to the right side of the carriage and laughing smugly to themselves once they settled down.

"How much you got?"

"Not as much as I wanted. The prat just had to get in my way. Coulda got a load, almost got the jackpot!"

More laughter and the sound of a match being lit came after. The smell of tobacco filled the air and I could barely see the twirls of smoke rising up from where they were standing.

"Don't complain. Least ya got a good lay earlier. Tch!"

"Jealous? I'll tell ya, the bitch was fuckin' fine! Cunt was nice and tight, mate. Rammed into her so hard, had her screamin' like…"

The men continued with their sick talk and I blocked everything else out in disgust. Nothing but lowly scum; they were probably a couple of robbers, deciding to do some trafficking on the side as well. In any case-

The left door of the carriage swung open and my arm was yanked out of the vehicle. My body staggered out in a rather clumsy heap but the man steadied me, his arm wrapped around my center. I was ready to knock the man's jaw when I realized it was the driver. My alarmed stare met with his quivering green orbs and he was sweating like no tomorrow. He was absolutely frightened and his grip on me was surprisingly strong.

His mouth opened and closed repeatedly and I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he had to say. When he couldn't muster up any words, I chose to speak up, but his moist hand clamped over my mouth, preventing me from saying anything first.

"I-I'm so sorry…" he half-mouthed, half-whispered, his voice trembling along with nearly every part of his body.

He slammed me against the side of the carriage, pressing himself close against me. My eyes widened at the sudden near proximity, my nose picking up on the salty smell of his sweat and a faint hint of tobacco mixed in. His hold on me tightened and he continued pushing his body against me. My pulse went wild and my breathing escalated. I felt his face brush against the side of my right cheek, the scratch of his stubble rubbing against my skin.

"P-Please…_Help me_," he pleaded, his voice cracking with the last two words.

I frowned at his words and he could hear my muffled voice under his hand. He stared me in the eyes, seeing that there was a spark of fury in them, not a hint of fear like he had thought. Through my piercing gaze, he could practically hear me saying, 'Why the hell should I help _you_?'

He shook his head, his lips forming into a thin line before answering. "I know what you may be thinking. I'm so sorry, but I had no other choice! They…they took her…they took my daughter!"

At that being said, he could see a change in my eyes, the fury burning down to what looked like concern. He swallowed hard, his forehead creased and he continued on. "Yes, they took her. I had to replace her somehow, or they'd never give her back to me. They were going to sell her…she'd be gone for good. I couldn't bear if that happened…"

His hand slowly lowered from my mouth, his rough fingers brushing against my lips. He let out a shaky sigh and with his body still keeping me pinned, his head leaned against the side of the carriage, his nose grazing against my shoulder. He muttered more apologies and pleads under his breath and not too soon later, I started to feel tears dripping on me.

Of course, I knew his situation all too well, especially with his daughter. Somehow, the driver's worry and care for her reminded me of my father, of all the pain I must have caused him because he lost me, his only child. But maybe through all those years, I wasn't the only child anymore. Maybe I had a little brother or sister that had replaced me after I vanished from their lives. Either way, I would never be able to forgive myself for putting my parents through that, but for now, there was one thing I could do.

The man was practically sobbing, and hearing the thugs beginning to become restless on the other side of the carriage, I grasped onto his free arm.

"Is she here?" I simply asked him.

He lifted his head from my dampened shoulder, his face flushed and covered with tears. He briskly wiped his face with his other arm, releasing me in the process. He stepped back, finally allowing me some distance. There was uncertainty written on his distressed face, but his lips twitched into a faint smile after my words sunk in.

"I-I don't know. But-"

"Oi! What's with the hold up?! Get yer damn ass out here!"

The man flinched before freezing in place. I tightened my grip on his arm and he hissed from the pain of my nails digging into his skin. "Take me to them."

He stared at me wide-eyed and unconsciously shook his head. He was too shaken to move or think properly. "I…can't…"

"What are you talking about? You took me here for a reason, remember? It'll be all right. Just take me to them," I repeated myself, trying to assure him with my eyes.

The angry men were shouting for him, their monstrous footsteps getting closer, but he wasn't hearing them. His intense gaze was focused on me and he swallowed hard once more, his Adam's apple bobbing with that motion. He gave a firm nod, readying himself to turn me in. Coming back to his senses, he gave a true smile then and at that moment, I saw my father in him so clearly, as if he was really there. My eyes watered at the memory. How I wished I could be in the safety of his arms again, but I didn't deserve to see dad's face…

He took my hands in his, giving them a brief squeeze. He then whispered, "Thank you for understan-"

I would never forget that terrible sound that came before he could even finish his words. The firing of a gun interrupted him as a single bullet embedded into his skull, like a bolt of lightning. Just like that, his green eyes lost their short twinkle of hope and his legs crumpled, his fingers slipping from me. His body gave way, falling backwards to the ground with a dull thud. A puddle of blood began forming under his head. His eyes remained open in permanent shock, his mouth ajar with no more words to ever come out again.

He was gone.

* * *

Everything about the manor was pure insanity, as mad as the inside of the Baron's obsessive and psychotic mind. Bizarre displays of puppets taking the form of children were strewn randomly throughout the mansion. Then there was the entrance of the Baron himself, his face wrapped entirely in bandages like a mummy and his body restrained to a wheelchair like the doctor of the circus. And lastly, the appearance of the lost children, who were nothing more than slaves as they moved robotically like the mindless puppets used as morbid decorations.

Everything the Baron did was for the young Earl, that was all he ever wanted, all he ever lived for. To see the Earl, treasure him like he was a part of his precious collection of empty children.

_"Such a dream, to have you so close!"_

_"I feel ashamed to show myself like this…"_

_"For you! Yes! For you, Earl!"_

A grim feast was offered, but the young Earl dared not touch a morsel. A gruesome and disturbing circus performance comprised of the inexperienced children, guinea pigs more like, served as 'entertainment', but it otherwise resulted in their eminent doom. Something that was supposedly thrilling and amusing by the Baron's standards ended in cracked skulls, dismemberment, and gore. The Baron laughed hysterically at every scene of death and bloodshed.

Until…

_"What? Wh-what's wrong, Earl? Y-You do not-"_

The young Lord, to say the least, was utterly disgusted by the vermin. This ruthless _animal _that worshipped him so.

_"I'm sure this will be proper enough to report to the Queen. The lowest form of human life is what I, the watchdog of the Queen, will have gotten rid of!"_

With a gun pulled on the Baron's temple, a sword and dagger were unveiled as well, leading to a stalemate between the Baron, the Earl, and their loyal servants.

_"Where are the rest of the kidnapped children, Baron?" _Ciel demanded darkly, keeping his pistol pointed at the deranged man's head.

A grin immediately appeared on the Baron's face. He wanted to please the boy, of course, that was all he wanted.

_"The children, you say? You want to see them? They are in the basement! I shall take you there at once, for there is something I wanted to show you anyway! Come, come!" _the Baron exclaimed in excitement.

Meanwhile, the demon butler had Joker detained, his dagger held dangerously over the host's throat. With a smirk crossing the devil's lips and a simple shove, the two of them followed closely behind the two nobles, down to what would be the most disturbing part of the mansion.

In the back of the demon's mind, while listening to the words exchanged between the nobles, he was relieved that it had only been him and his master who had arrived here. This place was certainly not a place for children, let alone _women_. He was sure the Baron was only interested in children, but regardless, the thought of the perverted beast laying a single glance on _her, _if she were here, made him positively ill.

Joker grunted in irritation when he felt the dagger digging into his neck by the butler's unconscious move. The butler's grip on the knife tightened and droplets of the host's blood soaked into his white glove.

Hopefully, the demon thought, she was safe.

* * *

I grew as frigid as his dead body. I just couldn't keep my eyes off him. One minute he was speaking to me, smiling at me, and the next, he was gone. He was dead. Never to return, never to return to his daughter again…

It was like I was looking at my father die right before me, his frozen eyes staring into nothing. He couldn't see me anymore.

I wanted to break down, but even more than that, I was furious. I had been willing to give myself to these men, but not for the same reason as long before.

Rough arms grabbed my body from behind and filthy fingers clasped over my throat. The ruffian's grip on my neck was tight as if he wanted to choke me, but I felt nothing. I didn't struggle at first, though I shivered in disdain at the feel of this strange man against me. My vision was still glued on the corpse, seeing pairs of footsteps approaching him, nudging his head and limbs. His blood had stopped flowing and one of the men stomped a foot on the driver's chest. Evil cackles and the cocking of a gun came after.

Monsters...all monsters…

"…got the girl…! She's a looker a'right!" another thug shouted.

The man who restrained me inched closer and I could feel his putrid breath against my ear. "Don't be scared…we'll treat you real nice if you behave. Promise, babe."

"Hah! Would ya look at that?! Two girls in the bag!" The other man's shout of victory sounded distant.

The man shushed me unnecessarily and then yelled, "Oi! Someone, help me knock 'er out!"

He tilted my face upwards and my sights were forced to divert to his comrade, who slammed his large hand over my nose and mouth before I could try and resist. My eyes narrowed into a glare and he kept a firm grip on my face, his forefinger and thumb digging into my cheeks.

There was a hidden grey cloth in his palm, and whatever was on it smelled horrid, like some kind of toxic chemical. My nostrils burned at the scent and it was then I realized it was chloroform. I had inhaled it deeply, but it had no effect on me, not anymore. Of course, they didn't know, so I pretended to pass out like they expected. I allowed my body to grow limp in the man's grasp, temporarily shutting my eyes.

"Good job, boys. Now let's get the hell outta here." The man's arms loosened on me and he released my neck.

In an unexpected flash, the comrade's heart stopped when he saw me spring out of 'unconsciousness' and escape from the man's clutches. He gagged at the sight of blood gushing out when I sunk my fangs into the man's wretched neck, my cold hands gripping his head and tearing it clean off his shoulders.

The comrade let out a scream, taking steps backwards from me, his hand fumbling for the pistol in his holster but failing when he tripped over the driver's corpse. His strained eyes widened in horror as I approached him, my hands dripping with the man's blood, the gore spilling from my mouth. My tongue flicked between my lips and then brushed over my elongated fangs. His gaze fixated on the blaring crimson irises and the ravenous canines glistening in the moonlight.

"You-you're…a…a…" he stuttered, too frightened to grab for his weapon.

I scoffed and my foot slammed on his chest, crushing his ribs and pushing him down just as he did to the corpse. "I know, I know. No need to clarify," I stated darkly, my voice rougher than usual.

The man's breathing was unstable; one of his broken ribs had punctured his lungs. He gasped, trying his hardest to cry for help. But it was far too late for him.

His fellow crew didn't come fast enough. All they heard was a fading, choking scream and then a sudden deafening silence. The unnerving calm caused goose bumps to run rampant on their flesh. What they saw upon their arrival to the scene shocked them to the core, but it soon changed to fear and fury in the chilling seconds that passed.

I paid no mind to their useless insults and cries of anger against me. The firing of their guns mattered not; I used my enhanced speed to take down the first man I laid eyes on, thrusting my hand through his chest and crushing his beating life source. More blood splattered on my face. I couldn't help the satisfied grin that spread on my lips as I watched his eyes roll back into his head, his body growing limp in an instant. Three down, two to go.

They continued shooting their guns but I dodged the rest of the bullets. Once they were out of ammo, the men turned and made a run for it, their gait desperate and clumsy. I could hear every breath they took into their lungs and for some reason, it excited me like never before.

_Oh no, you don't._

My bloody teeth were bared in that same grin, and I was almost surprised to hear a menacing chuckle rumbling in my throat. Before I could stop myself, I raced after the men. They turned their heads and didn't get the chance to scream when they saw me hovering over them.

Sounds of crushed limbs and ripped guts filled the night air, thick with the smell of blood and fading scents of smoke. Then it was quiet once more, like the aftermath of a battlefield. I took in a deep breath, feeling the burst of energy slowly dissipate to normal, the fires in my body simmering down to nothing. It was only then did I feel the sharp pains of the bullets embedded in my skin. I groaned in annoyance and looked down to inspect the damage. Five bullets, two of them in my arm and the other three lodged in my chest. What a nuisance.

"Father? Father!"

I froze at hearing that voice. The owner of it sounded small and frightened and once I ignored the numbing pain of my injuries, I figured out who it was before I even turned around.

"Oh my god…no…no!"

All prior, adrenaline-induced thoughts of thrill and murder drifted away and I slowly turned around, seeing the captured daughter running to her father's corpse. I watched her shaking him, trying to get him to wake. When she knew her efforts were futile, her head dropped onto his chest, her body shaking violently with her sobs.

I walked towards her, intending to help her in any way I could. Hearing my footsteps, however, the girl snapped from her sorrow. Anger was all I saw on her face. Her eyes darted to the ground and she hastily grabbed for a pistol from the nearest dead man, pointing the weapon at me.

"_You_! You did this! _I'll kill you_!" she cried, readying the gun to fire.

My eyes grew downcast and I took another step forward. She growled and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. I winced when another bullet struck me in the stomach and then gave a heavy sigh. The girl was a stubborn one, unfortunately. I was definitely not looking forward to pulling the metal shots out of my body.

"Stay the hell away from me! This time, I won't miss!" she threatened, aiming the pistol at my head.

Before she could do anything more, I was standing right in front of her in a blink of an eye. She shrieked at the sudden closeness and didn't fight when I yanked the gun out of her hands and threw it aside with great force. She looked to the side to see the gun break in half against a nearby tree.

She then directed her attention to me, scanning my bloodied form. Her eyes welled with tears and she laughed bitterly. "What now, are you going to kill me too?"

My face held no emotion. She saw the emptiness in my eyes, the deep blue of my irises seeming to match my hidden sadness. With the current circumstances and the way I was presented, there was no way she was going to believe me. But I went ahead and told her the truth regardless.

"I didn't kill him."

She looked surprised at first, but it was immediately replaced with more doubt and fury. When she saw me reaching for her again, she slapped my hands away.

"I said get the fuck away from me! You're nothing but a monster. A freak. A damn _freak_!" she swore at me, spittle flying out of her mouth from her angry declaration.

That strange burst of energy returned to me and suddenly, I was losing all patience with this girl. I fought the urge to slap her senseless and instead, simply turned my back on her. Without another word or a single glance, I distanced myself from the carnage. My jaw clenched and my eyes hardened into a glare. I didn't need this. I didn't need any of this!

I was wasting time. In fact, I should have been back by now. If the girl refused my help, then so be it.

I sped out of her sights, leaving behind a sharp gust of wind. There was nothing before her now, except for the mangled bodies of the men who had kidnapped her.

…

I stifled another scream that begged to be released from my mouth as I, once again, dug my fingers into my chest, pulling out the damn bullet and then tossing it to the pile of blood-soaked metal. A muffled groan replaced the scream and I breathed heavily, eying the five bullets that I managed to get out.

I leaned my head against the tree I sat against. Taking a few more breaths, I looked off to the dirt road and then towards the distance. The driver can't have taken me_ that_ far from the Phantomhive manor. It had to be close by, at least close enough that I'd be able to get back on track and not lose myself.

Inhaling once more, I gritted my teeth and jabbed my fingers into the bullet wound that resided in my stomach. Tears threatened to fall, but they gathered in the corner of my eyes instead. As quick as possible, I tore the bullet out of my stomach, letting out low whimpers in the process.

"Finally…you little bugger…" I muttered, glaring at the bullet between my fingers before throwing it aside. The gaping holes from the shots healed in a second and I was able to get back on my feet.

With my sights set on the road ahead, I sighed heavily once more.

_Here goes nothing…_

* * *

_"Let's do it, Earl Phantomhive! Let's recreate that fateful day from three years ago!"_

It was there, plainly there to haunt the young Earl once again. A revolting replica of the sacrificial prison he had been forced into. Where he was treated like an animal for slaughter, used for nothing but amusement. Back then, it was like he was forever trapped. Tortured endlessly. Death was eminent. A living hell.

The Baron wanted to see it all.

_"Please! I beg you! Let me be a part of it! It's all here! The room of the ceremony! The sacrificial limbs! And last but not least, you! Won't it be such fun-"_

From there, the demon witnessed his master beginning to lose his cool. This horrid nightmare was forced in the boy's face and the madness was far too overwhelming. Once Ciel pulled the trigger on the Baron, shooting him as the deranged man opened his arms in a welcoming gesture, all hell broke loose.

Joker couldn't stand by any longer, but just as he tried to run to his Father's aid, his only stable arm was lost in the process by the demon he dared to run from. Ear-splitting screams, blood, and more screams.

_"AGH! It hurts, Earl! It's so painful! Please, if you are to kill me, do so like you did everyone else on that day!"_

_"You want the same?"_

The young Earl smashed his heel onto the Baron's bound head, keeping his gun on the shameless noble. The butler's devilish smirk grew at seeing this merciless side of his master, savored the display that showcased one of the several characteristics of his tempting soul.

_"Then why don't you kneel down like a worm, and beg the demon to do it."_

The Baron's most loyal servant, hemorrhaging on the ground, tried to stop Ciel from killing his Father. He confessed everything, from the time the Baron saved the first-tier members from starvation to carrying out the kidnapping of the children.

_"He gave us everything so that we could protect what was most precious to us. That was why; we were willing to live under any means, even if it was just another type of hell. I knew from the very start it was wrong, but…"_

Ciel interrupted him, no hint of sympathy in his voice as he announced his reply.

_"You fought to protect your world, isn't that good enough? No one really thinks of others because then, you will lose everything and risk survival. There are only two types of people in the world-those who steal and those who are stolen from. Starting today, I just stole your future. That's all."_

Joker let out a bitter laugh. And then, a smug smile crossed the host's face.

_"Is that so? Then tonight, you will also have some important things stolen from you."_

The Earl froze, allowing shock to break through his cold exterior. The only person he was thinking of at that moment…

_"They're at the manor right now! You know why we were able to get away with the kidnapping? Because all witnesses were _killed_."_

The hint of alarm was soon dashed as if it had never existed. If Joker honestly thought he had won, he was dead wrong.

_"Just who do you think you are dealing with? They are the servants of the Phantomhives!" _

_"…Those who step into the den can never return into the light."_

The Earl Phantomhive stood there above the weakened young man, confident and strong. Yet it was just the beginning of an influx of rapid emotions and soon enough, that prideful demeanor crumbled to yet another living nightmare.

The doctor had made his arrival; his crippled state a complete farce as he walked on his legs like normal. Upon seeing the young noble and his butler, he hesitated not in explaining his twisted ideals.

Complete utter horror, that was all the Earl was enduring now. More of the truth was unfolding. The artificial limbs the Baron had provided to his fellow first-tier members, of course they had to be the highest of quality. And what was the source?

_"Don't you agree that this is the best resource? An animal's bones are fine, yes, but a human's? Oh…There's no such thing as success without sacrifice!"_

Taking one of the caged children and placing her on the stone table, the doctor ruthlessly plunged a dagger into her chest, stabbing the young girl with a maniacal grin on his face. As the Earl watched, flashbacks of the torturous ordeal he had been through rushed through his mind, replaying with the bloody act. He couldn't take it anymore. The demon finally saw his master break down completely.

_"Young Master…" _the demon stated calmly, grasping onto the vomit-covered, outstretched hand of the Earl. _"There is nothing to be afraid of. You are outside of the cage now, my lord."_

He pulled on the strings of Ciel's eye-patch, unraveling the contract. _"Come now. Call my name."_

_"Se-Se…Sebastian!"_

The butler's demonic eyes glowed as he waited for his master to say the words he knew he'd hear. His fangs were bared, ready for blood.

_"Kill them all!"_

At once, the replica of hell and madness could never match up to the true flames conjured by the devil himself. In a split amount of time no ordinary human could accomplish, it all ended in nothing more than thick crimson and ashes.

* * *

I stopped in my tracks, sensing something a little farther from where I was. My eyes narrowed, trying to make out any strange figures in the pitch black darkness. The moon light was hindered by the tree tops above but so far, I was sure I was making good progress despite the disadvantages. The forests were becoming more familiar the further I went along, and that's when I realized the dead driver hadn't gone off course as much as I thought.

Although his daughter had been rude, I started regretting leaving her behind by herself. Maybe it was entirely silly of me to be concerned about her; I knew Sebastian would probably think I was being stu-

I clenched my teeth, jabbing my nails into my palm until there was blood pooling in my hand. Really, him again? My brain was in dire need of some cleansing, perhaps swallowing a bottle of bleach would do.

In any case, who knew what would lay ahead for her now. Along the way, I had heard some carnivorous animals, wolves for instance. Compared to those men, wolves were probably even worse, and I was glad the mutts skipped over me. I must have not smelled as enticing as a human, but I could still hear them howling in the distance. Perhaps they were feasting on the disconnected intestines and limbs of those men. Maybe they had hunted her down and were eating her alive, very, very slowly...

My mind _definitely_ needed some sterilization.

As I took another step forward, I paused again when I heard another loud howl. But this one sounded different, much fiercer and intimidating, earth-shattering even. The howl shook the ground underneath my feet and I clung onto a nearby tree to steady myself. The shaking didn't stop, for what was occurring next felt like a massive earthquake. I turned my head left and right, trying to figure out what was causing this terrible shaking. I settled on keeping my line of focus straight ahead of me, sensing that the shaking was strongest directly in front.

The animal, or whatever it was, emitted another howl and this time, my muddled brain caught on to the owner of that sound. I couldn't believe it.

"No way…Plu-"

My eyes widened and a sharp gasp escaped me when a twirling rush of fire came right at me, the orange flames reflected in my watery orbs. I immediately fell to the ground, grasping the top of my head and planting my face firmly into the dirt. In an instant, I felt the intense heat against my back, though the frightening flames didn't lick my flesh. I shut my eyes tightly, my fingers clawing into my scalp and waiting for the heat to fade away.

My breathing grew rapid again, my body heaving with each amount of oxygen I took in. _Please be over. Please be over…please…_

In what felt like an excruciating long time, I felt the ground quake once more before sensing a gigantic presence right next to me. I cautiously opened my eyes and then lifted my head from my arms, finally catching sight of the culprit.

"Goodness, Pluto, what kind of greeting was that?" I snapped playfully, glad to see a familiar face, or in this case, a familiar hound.

Pluto, in his great dog form, merely growled in response, scratching the ground with his claws. I got back on my feet, brushing off the dirt from my clothes and face.

"Well, I suppose I should be nice to you anyway, despite you almost frying me to a crisp…" I muttered under my breath, thinking back to our last encounter. He almost killed me then too. The stupid mutt was out to get me, I swear. Anyway, in the meantime, I'd just keep thinking it was his twisted way of saying 'Hello'.

I looked behind Pluto and noticed he had taken down numerous trees on his way towards me. Obviously if he was here, it meant that I was close to the mansion. He must have sensed my presence ahead of time. Thinking it over, I couldn't help but smile at that fact. I suppose there was some use to good ole Pluto after all.

During the brief silence between us, Pluto turned to his side and bent down close, looking over his shoulder at me. I stared into those large, red eyes of his and realized what he was suggesting.

"Wait, are you sure? You're not going to toss me off on the way or send me to a pack of wolves?" I asked him warily.

He merely snorted, and I could imagine he was probably mocking me in that mischievous way of his. How bloody brilliant. But the circumstances could be worse if I turned him down. Besides, we'd probably get back to the mansion faster without me having to follow his tail.

"All right, sorry about this…" I said to him before approaching his massive body. I carefully took handfuls of his fur and made my way up onto his back as gently as possible. I cursed when I slipped on the way, earning a whine from Pluto and a hasty apology from me.

Once I adjusted myself in the safest position possible on his back, Pluto rose to his feet. I inhaled sharply and leaned on him, tightening my grip on his fur. If I thought Pluto was incredibly tall in his dog form from the ground, I'd have to make an adjustment. The ground looked so far from up top. To exaggerate, it was like I was on the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Pluto didn't bother to hear from me and instead, went speeding off to where he came. I watched in amazement at how fast he really was, the wind blowing swiftly through my long hair. I didn't even close my eyes like I thought, I was just completely stunned. It was actually quite a thrill, riding on the back of a demon hound. When was the excitement going to end that night? Anymore and I swore I was going to get whiplash.

It didn't take long for Pluto to take us back to the manor. In what was literally a blur, I was relieved to see the mansion reveal itself behind the endless amount of trees. But as we came closer, that relief turned to shock when I saw that the impressive home of the Phantomhives was half demolished. Literally an entire side of the mansion was nothing but rubble and there was still debris and puffs of smoke rolling about in the air.

As soon as Pluto came to a stop, I heard another familiar voice calling toward us.

"Pluto! There you are!"

I smiled when I saw that it was Finny running up to us and when he caught sight of me on top of Pluto, his large turquoise eyes glimmered with instant joy. "Janelle! It's you! Is that why you ran off, Plu-Plu?" he shouted, placing his hands on his hips like he was reprimanding the dog.

The demon hound growled and out of nowhere, he shook me off with all his might, causing me to slip off his back like I was a sack of potatoes. Finny ran over to me once I fell painfully to the ground. I groaned and grasped my bruised hip, glaring up at the hound. "Wonderful transportation, _Pluto_. I should have expected as much."

Finny chuckled beside me and I looked up at him, smiling as he lent me a hand. As he helped me to my feet, he immediately grabbed me into a hug, nearly crushing my bones.

"I missed you so much, Janelle! It felt like forever since I last saw you!" he cried, burrowing his head in my stomach.

A light blush appeared on my cheeks and I returned his embrace, rubbing his back. "Same to you, Finny. I hope you were able to cope well…" I then looked up at the rubble again and frowned. "Then again…who attacked the manor?"

Finny was about to answer when a loud shout of victory interrupted him. That gruff voice could only belong to one person, who was as loud as the bombs he set off himself.

"Whoo hoo! Yet another victory for the Phantomhive family! I'm tellin' ya, Mey, we're invincible!" Bard yelled, appearing out of a thick cloud of smoke.

"Oh, this isn't good, it isn't! Look at this mess! Mister Sebastian will certainly not be pleased, he won't!" the scratchy voice of Mey-Rin came after as she followed the American.

The gardener released me and waved the two of them over. The maid and cook quickly came over to us, their grins matching Finny's. Bard tipped an imaginary hat at me, his signature cigarette hanging from his lips. "What's up, Jane! Didn't expect to see you here!"

I smiled at him in return, and upon finishing up my examination of the diminished catastrophe, an amusing idea came to mind. While the three of them exchanged a few words, I gave an exaggerated sigh and cleared my throat, effectively gathering their attention. Standing up straight with my arms on my sides, I gave them a close-eyed grin, my perfect pose and expression reminding the three of them too much of a certain someone.

"Why, haven't I told you three several times to control yourselves? As proud servants of the Phantomhives, this is the least I could expect from you! How many times must I repeat myself before it is drilled into your thick skulls?" I stated as sternly and as intimidating as I could, wagging my finger at them like a strict school teacher.

It seemed to have some effect on Finny and Mey-Rin, but Bard merely burst out laughing, jabbing his index finger at my serious expression.

"Wh-what the hell was that?! Ha-ha! If you were tryin' to scare us, missy, you failed big time! You make a horrible Sebastian!" the cook choked out between guffaws. "A-am I right, guys? You two weren't scared were ya?"

Mey-Rin laughed nervously while adjusting her round glasses with trembling fingers. Finny gave a weak smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "A-actually, for a second there, I thought Sebastian was really here!"

"Tch! Hell no! Janelle couldn't scare anyone if she tried!" Bard retorted, slapping his knees during his humorous fit.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, pouting at my failure. If he ever saw the other side of me, I wondered if the American would think otherwise…

The four of us dispersed among the debris, the three Phantomhive servants debating on how to go about cleaning up the mess. As I walked and surveyed the front of the manor, I spotted blood stains and stray bodies lying around. Setting eyes on them and recognizing their clothing, I figured out who the attackers were. It didn't surprise me in the least bit; of course the first-tier members had to have found out who 'Smile' truly was.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw something that caught my eye. I walked towards the object and bent over to pick up what looked like a hand-woven scarf. It was wrecked up now, barely hanging on as a whole piece. Something about it, though, set off the darker thoughts in my mind and I had to wonder why.

"Whatcha got there, Janelle?" Finny asked me, standing by my side.

I turned to him, holding the scarf out with both hands. "Do you know who this belonged to?"

The gardener grasped his chin in thought before the owner appeared in his mind. He snapped his fingers. "Oh! I think it belonged to this woman, one of the nasty invaders we got rid of! Bard blew her up using just flour! Err…well…I guess that shouldn't be something to be happy about…" he trailed off, pressing his index fingers together.

"This woman…was she wearing all black?" I asked with an emotionless tone.

Finny nodded. "Yup! She was dressed rather oddly! N-not much of anything really…" A light blush of embarrassment crossed his face and he shook those stray thoughts aside, turning his attention elsewhere.

So, this scarf belonged to _her, _huh?

Without thinking, I brought the scarf up to my nose and inhaled deeply. I smelled her, all right, but then I detected two other scents as well. One of them I recognized as the host of the circus, Joker. The other one…

My eyes grew blank and I couldn't stop myself from taking another sniff. The other scent belonged to none other than the demon butler. It was the faintest of the three, but to me, it was the strongest, the one that immediately empowered my senses. Anger returned, the fury coiled dangerously in my body.

As if on cue, Pluto came by Finny and me, tilting his large head at us in curiosity. I smirked at his presence and approached him.

"Excuse me, Pluto, may I ask you to do one more favor for me?" I asked sweetly.

The Devil Dog growled in disdain but kneeled down, waiting for what I had to say. I smiled and held up the scarf. "Would you be a dear and burn this disgusting cloth? Not a trace of it left?"

Pluto snorted and narrowed his eyes at the scarf before he stood straight. He nodded his head upwards and it took me a moment before I realized what he wanted me to do. I balled up the scarf in my hands and with as much force as possible, I threw it into the air, the piece of clothing sailing above Pluto's head. Without hesitation, the demon hound released a weaker stream of fire to perform the task. Once the fires died down, sprinkles of dark ash and fiber fell onto us like snow. My smile grew malicious at the glorious sight and I looked up at the hound once more.

"Excellent work, Pluto. That's a good boy."

* * *

Walking away from a burning mansion and several scorched corpses, the demon held his master close in his arms, shielding the boy from his nightmares. It had been amusing while it lasted, and he was only glad that this charade was finally over. The young Earl didn't stir once in his arms after he had gotten rid of the last nuisance in their way. The girl, who had trusted the one known as Smile, treated him like a friend, was no more. The Doll of the circus was eradicated, along with the rest of her fellow brothers and sisters.

Killing each and every one of the targets was pleasing, yes, but still, the demon was not fully satisfied. Something was missing, something that would make the ending to all this even more rewarding. He couldn't help being a perfectionist, whatever it was nagged him incessantly in the back of his mind.

And that was when the answer was clear to him. The figure he had his sights on was quite a distance away, easily missed by the human eye. But, of course, the demon could see him so clearly. The very vermin he had unconsciously thought about had decided to show himself, standing in a clearing in front of the unforgiving forest.

He had his arms crossed, standing casually like he did whenever he greeted his ex-lover. The man's smug grin was not missed by the demon; in fact, it was one of the first things he noticed. The vampire's cerulean eyes pierced right back through his own bloody crimson orbs. It was like they were already engaging in a battle, their minds thinking up ways to get rid of each other.

With that sickening air of fake happiness, the vampire simply waved back at the demon in a taunting manner before turning his back and speeding off into the forest like he had never appeared.

There could have been worry. There could have even been intimidation.

But neither of those trivial emotions overpowered the single emotion that flared strongly in his veins. Excitement. The demon knew how he wanted to end this. There was only one last target left to destroy.

Once the savage was gone, there was nothing that could get in their way any longer. She would be entangled in his clutches, tied to him entirely, for life.


	35. Goodbye

**Oh finally, I'm done with this chapter! Took way longer than I wanted, but here it is.**

**Thanks a bunch for the reviews from _Dantes-Silent Huntress_, _fencergal19_, _Princesa de la Luna_, _I'mDoneDreaming77_, _piplup225_, _MrsGooglyBear_, _Sarafinja_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _Lady Athenangel_, and _dark-dreams-of-love_. Also thanks to the new faves and follows over the past few days. You guys are all full of awesome, can't say that enough!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

The cursed snickering interrupted his concentration, and it irked him for what seemed like the millionth time. His shoulders grew tense and he gritted his teeth.

"_Janelle_…" he warned, clenching onto the shattered plates he was picking up from the floor, which was covered with an abundance of flour and ash. I could see the impressive muscles in his arms flexing due to his annoyance and it just amused me even more.

I leaned back on my hands, sitting on the edge of the island in the kitchen and swinging my legs side-to-side like a mischievous child. I pursed my lips, though I could still feel another chuckle begging to burst.

He looked over his shoulder, glaring at me, and I quickly wiped all emotion from my face. Clearing my throat in a nonchalant manner, I took up a serious composure. "All right, I'm done. No more."

The cook stared at me for a long, hard minute. I could tell he didn't believe me one bit, but he shook it off anyway, continuing on with his hunt for broken glass and china.

When he had his back to me again, I allowed the grin to spread on my face and much to the chef's dismay, he heard it again. My laughter increased in volume. This time, he dropped all the pieces he had painstakingly picked up, resulting in a noisy shatter. Turning around, he grabbed the front of my dress and yanked me towards him.

"Will you quit that?! It's not funny!" he barked, his nose pressing against mine as he snarled like a dog. Speaking of which, it reminded me of what was on top of my own head at that very moment, and my lips curled into a smug smile.

"Are you kidding me? You should take a look at yourself. Blonde curls _do not_ suit you at all." With that, I snickered again and he growled in my face, a dark blush of utter embarrassment appearing on his cheeks.

It had been a full day since the attack on the Phantomhive manor, and including the day they had left, two have passed until the young Earl and his butler returned safely. It seemed I missed out on a tad important detail beforehand, so I was surprised to find that his fiancé had decided to visit the manor when he was absent. Thankfully, she had slept throughout most of the ordeal against the intruders, but come next morning, I finally witnessed the more 'outrageous' side of her, finally understanding why the three goofballs cringed in secret whenever she was around. On and on she went, complaining about when she would be able to see her beloved Ciel, and to make matters worse, she was bored to death. And what exactly would a young noble girl do with five servants in a supposedly 'bleak' mansion?

Simple, she'd decide to force bizarre and extremely feminine accessories onto us in order to 'add some color' and make things 'adorable'. Yes, that's what any normal person would do! I surely should have seen that coming.

So here we were, Bard and I, in the kitchen, cleaning up the dastardly mess left behind by his successful, but brazen flour bombing. The cook was currently fashioning a shiny, platinum blonde, curly wig that threatened to split my guts every time I set eyes on him, and so far, we were able to escape from any more of Elizabeth's wrath of cuteness. I didn't know if the others were able to get away without becoming one of her 'models', but the cook and I certainly couldn't, not without at least one atrocious accessory. Yet despite this arguably embarrassing ordeal, I knew the girl meant well. Perhaps we did need some 'lighting' up of this place, considering the past events were grim.

Releasing me and stepping back, Bard crossed his arms, assessing how I looked in the meantime. He grabbed the large, floppy dog ears Elizabeth had placed upon my head a little while ago at the same time she jumped Bard with her wig attack. With the ears pinched between his indexes and thumbs, he moved them as if they were wings.

"I could say the same thing to you, missy. Orange doesn't suit you at all. In fact, it's blindin' to look at," Bard grimaced at the intense, bright color of the ears against my dark fuchsia hair. The colors clashed badly and true to his words, it wasn't very pleasing to the eyes.

I shrugged and moved his hands off the dog ears. Hopping off the counter, I grabbed for the broom behind him. He, in turn, returned to picking up the now larger pile of broken shards. "Needless to say, we both look ridiculous. But maybe I should call you Princess Bardroy from now on, huh?"

Bard looked over his shoulder at me and I could already sense his irritation rising to a new peak. "_Hell _no! If you call me that, I'll start saying…" He paused when an idea came to mind, and according to his dirty grin, immediately I knew it was something I wouldn't like. "Well, with those ears, that would make you a 'female dog' so…"

I gave a wry laugh while gathering up the flour and ash into a pile. "Oh, if you start using that word against me, you'll just be asking for a certain butler around here to wallop you over the head for your inexcusable language."

"Pft! Inexcusable my a-" He stopped again, freezing like prey in front of a predator. I narrowed my eyes at his stiffened form and before I knew it, I heard the cause of his immobile state. The shrill voice of the noble lady was echoing down the hall, disturbingly getting closer and closer to us.

Bard stood up, turned, grabbed my arm and yanked me down to the ground behind the island within a matter of seconds. I was astounded by how fast he had moved, and as a precaution, he shushed me with a stern look on his face, earning an eye-roll from me. As we both sat on the floor, the cook peered behind the counter, squinting and waiting for the cheerful girl to pass. I looked with him and together, we saw Elizabeth bound down the hallway and then halt at the opening of the kitchen. Bard hid himself in an instant before she could see, pressing his back flat against the counter. Holding his breath, his cheeks were bloated like a puffer fish. I was tempted to tease him about his overdramatic behavior. It wasn't like she was some man-eating zombie, yet Bard was acting like he was back on the war zone.

"Strange, I swore I heard noises in here… Where is everybody?"

We heard her tiny footsteps getting near and on impulse, Bard grabbed onto my arm, scooting closer against me. I tried to hold back my urge to laugh again, simply playing along and allowing him to do as he pleased.

Right on the other side of the counter, Elizabeth decided to stop. Humming to herself in thought, I imagined she was taking a moment to scan the disordered kitchen. "Hmm, I guess they're not here. Oh well…CIEL!" Just like that, the girl went springing off like an energetic rabbit, racing off to pester her fiancé.

The cook exhaled like a deflated balloon. He released me and got into a crouched position. With his fingers clinging to the edge of the counter, the top of his head and eyes could be seen as he surveyed the area. Once he made sure she was gone, he slumped back down to the ground in relief.

"Phew! Thank god, she didn't bother going any further!" he announced.

I gave a small smile, not as 'fearful' of Elizabeth's antics as he and the rest of the trio were. Casually tracing random patterns into the flour coating the floor, I replied, "That's funny. I'm surprised she didn't catch your gorgeous blonde locks." I turned and tugged on a stray curl of his wig.

He let out another frustrated growl and waved me off. "Look who's talkin'! Those silly ears could be spotted a million miles away!" he retorted like kid, stretching one of his legs out. He grabbed his forehead, blowing aside a random curl that had slipped over his face. "I swear, where on earth does she get these things?"

I shrugged again. "You know, aside from all this, I think it's kind of good that she decided to visit…"

Bard furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you bloody serious?"

I sighed lightly. "I mean, I'm sure that the Young Master enjoys her company, at least a little bit. I bet he needs some time with the people he cares about, especially after returning from a strenuous investigation."

"You think so? If you ask me, the Young Master always seemed to be in the worst of moods whenever she's around…" the blond replied, scratching his prickly chin.

He didn't hear a response from me, and taking notice; he turned and saw me staring off to nowhere, no readable emotion on my face. With the sudden, awkward silence, he began to grow uncomfortable, asking me things yet I blocked it all out. His words didn't seem to reach me. Out of nowhere, a wave of thoughts took my mind captive. I just lost myself. With the smallest of movements, I swallowed back a sudden pain forming in my throat.

Bard tried to shake me out of my daze and in the next second, I barely felt something touching me. The warmth and pressure from the grip soon came to me and then that's when I realized; his rough hand had grasped onto mine. Something in me snapped and everything came crashing back. Without hesitating, I ripped my hand from his grasp and faced him again, seeing his immediate shock. He shrunk under my vicious glare and for a second, he thought he saw the blue of my irises flicker, change into a color that represented what I thirsted for.

"Wh-what the hell…?" Bard managed to whisper, the hand he had used to touch me still in midair.

The fire in me flared for a minute longer and then I finally heard what he was saying. His voice, though a whisper, echoed in my ears. What the hell _was_ wrong with me? I didn't usually act like this around Bard, or Finny and Mey-Rin for that matter. Was I still experiencing trauma from what happened the night before? I shut my eyes for a second, making sure I wouldn't lash out again. My expression softened, and I reached out to grasp his hand. He still looked taken aback, but sensing that I was back to normal, his prior concern was cleared.

"Come on, Bard. Let's hurry and clean this place up before the butler gets angry," I stated with a warm smile.

There was confusion on his face now, most definitely because of my sudden mood swings, but I brushed it off and pulled him to his feet.

"Well, Mr. Chef? What's with the face?" I asked innocently, patting both of his cheeks.

The cold touch of my hands woke him from his puzzlement and he nudged my forehead with his thumb. "You're askin' me?! Just a minute ago, you were-bah! Never mind, you know what? You're crazy." He ended it bluntly and marched back towards the pile of broken shards he kept failing to clear out of the kitchen.

I chuckled lightly and approached him. Once he turned around, he had the broom shoved in his face, making him stumble backwards. I kept that smile on my face, hands on my hips as I watched him glancing at the broom in question.

"You better use that instead. I don't want you cutting yourself on accident, knowing you…" I trailed off before he could say anything and from there, we got back to business.

With the sounds of broken glass scraping against the ground and a few grumbles from Bard, mostly about the 'stupid wig' he was forced to wear, the two of us were able to clean up the mess in a decent matter of time. I was able to clear out the majority of the flour and ash on the ground, and using dustpans, Bard and I dumped the debris into the rubbish bin, which filled up in an instant.

I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as I examined the cleaner kitchen, minus the gaping hole caused by the explosion. According to the demon butler's instructions, after the inevitable scolding he gave the trio, we were all told to clear out all the rubble, and to leave the critical damages in his hands. Knowing him, it'd probably be fixed no later than the evening, and it'd be as if the mansion had never endured an attack.

Bard gave a loud groan as he stretched his limbs and cracked his neck from side to side. I smiled and he returned my expression before raising his hand and giving me a high-five. "Teamwork, missy," he simply stated and I laughed, nodding in agreement.

He then walked towards the rubbish bin and bent down, lifting it in his arms with some effort. "Well, I gotta go and empty this puppy out. I'll be right back."

Just before he left, he frowned and with his eyes turned upwards, he promptly ripped off the ridiculous wig. "I think I've worn this long enough. Sorry, milady!" he hollered, swinging the wig around in the air and knowing the girl couldn't possibly have heard him.

Following his example, I too removed the floppy dog ears off my head, wincing at the bright color and setting it aside on the counter. My eyes wandered around the kitchen once more before lingering on the giant hole, which revealed a large portion of the outside. I wrapped my arms around myself and walked closer until I could feel the breeze blowing against my face. The weather was pleasant, even though it was still in the midst of winter. I wondered if Finny needed any help, or Mey-Rin. Last I heard, she said she'd be working near the grand staircase.

I sighed; I supposed I couldn't just stand around, yearning to go outside, when I could be doing other more productive tasks. I hadn't tutored Ciel in a while, though I didn't think he had time for lessons, especially with his fiancé running amuck in his mansion. It didn't matter. As long as I could keep myself occupied and far away from-

My body stiffened. Brilliant, I just jinxed myself.

Just like before, thinking about him was like a death wish. He had appeared before I knew it, standing right behind me. Though he wasn't so close, it was like he was trapping me with some unknown force, like his demonic aura was reeling me into his permanent grasp. His fingers invaded and tangled into a few locks of my hair, pulling lightly. For some reason, it didn't frighten me, not like how _he _would whenever he decided to show himself, whenever _he_ was even breathing the same air as me.

I was letting this demon come near; letting him touch me even though I was convincing myself I was avoiding him. He had his hold on me. I was his so-called 'mate'. Did I have any say in this? Was it a choice? Or was I merely forced on him? He probably didn't even want me for real. I didn't know what to believe anymore.

My throat felt dry, like I hadn't fed in weeks when I reality, it was his blood that quenched my thirst days ago. I commanded my body to move, forced myself to turn around and see him. I didn't bother hiding my emotions, and when I hesitantly met his gaze, there was that rare glint in his eyes, a genuine look that kept my eyes glued to his. I didn't remember the last time I saw this, but why he was willing to let it go now, it had to be some sort of trick.

Next thing I knew, he was smiling at me, and not a trace of his usual smugness was seen. It was real, kind, and I could hardly muster up any words to say. _Go away. Don't come near me._ I could say it so easily in my mind, but my voice refused to cooperate with me. His demonic claws had already managed to grab hold of my insides, including my vocal cords, and he was playing it in his own way. _Damn him._

"Hello, my dear," he finally spoke. He stepped closer to me and didn't hesitate to place his gloved hand on my cheek. His thumb massaged the area below my eye and as I continued staring at him, he didn't seem to want to let go, not for a single moment.

My mouth opened and his gaze focused on my parted lips. The rare genuine look in his eyes morphed into something more familiar. Lust, desire. The longer he focused on my tempting lips, the stronger his desire became. I could see it burn fiercely in his eyes, and truth be told, I began to feel it too. His simple touch, his hand on my cheek, made my skin feel on fire. It gave me that energy, the will to keep going. How badly I wished it didn't…

"Sebastian…" I found myself saying, no matter how hard I was fighting it. I was losing badly and he just seemed to draw closer and closer.

_No_. I couldn't give in. I had to put up some fight.

Something in me finally mustered up the strength and I managed to push him back, moving away while I was at it. The butler stumbled a few steps backwards, but not far enough.

While I stood there, eyes darting frantically over the ground with my left arm grasping my right, the demon glowered at me and went to cut off the distance.

"We need to talk," he declared, as if I wasn't allowed to protest.

Yet, I did just that. I shook my head and made to walk towards the exit behind him. Of course, he blocked the way, his arms extended and forcing my body backwards. "Janelle, stop. You have to listen to what I have to say."

"Why the hell should I do that?" I snapped, shrugging his arm off me.

He narrowed his eyes and reached for me again. "Don't be like that. What I have to say is important. Just hear me out."

"Save it. I don't want to hear anything from you," I stated darkly and went to move past him again. He was stubborn; grabbing hold of my shoulders and making me stay put. I refused to meet eye contact with him but he didn't care, as long as he had me where he wanted.

"Please, Janelle…"

My eyes widened slightly; was he actually begging? A demon like him? No, it couldn't be. It was just another one of his games. But I betrayed myself, like I always did, and found myself staring into those bloody orbs of his. He was serious, no doubt, but there was no malice behind the stern front he put up. I had the urge to stay and listen; whatever hold he had on me was tempting me to give in. I was losing it again, and just when I was about to give it all up, I caught sight of Bard standing at the doorway in the next moment. Seeing my gaze waver from his, Sebastian's grip on my shoulders tightened, coaxing me to pay attention to him. When I did, he saw the anger in my eyes simmer down, sadness beginning to overshadow the flames.

"I can't…" I barely spoke, but he easily caught those words. I felt his grip loosen slightly and that's when I chose to break away, walking past him without sparing another glance. I didn't meet Bard's curious look either, speeding down the hallway to nowhere in particular.

The cook scratched his head as he watched me go. He hadn't heard anything, but if he had to guess, he was pretty sure he could understand without having to witness the whole thing. Crossing his arms, Bard turned back to the butler, whose face was as stern as usual, acting as if he wasn't affected by the rejection.

"Oh man, is the 'one hell of a butler' havin' _girl problems_? I thought I'd never see the day!" Bard dared to tease him, a grin spreading on his face with his unlit cigarette wiggling between his lips.

The demon raised an eyebrow at the cook's words before chuckling lightly and walking towards him. Bard put his guard up on instinct, ready for the inevitable smack over the head due to poking fun at the butler. Instead though, with eyes shut, he felt something being placed on his head and when he looked up, he saw the atrocious dog ears were there to haunt him. Sebastian's sadistic smirk returned as he enjoyed Bard's flabbergasted reaction.

"What the-Sebastian!" Bard began to protest but stopped when the demon's eyes flashed in a way that made all the servants want to hide in fear.

With his close-eyed grin and a tilt of his head, Sebastian acted as if he was the most innocent being. "Now Bard, you are to wear those ludicrous ears for the rest of the day. I _will know_ if you ever try to take it off, and if you do." His crimson eyes pierced right through Bard's nervous blue ones and the cook gulped, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "Well, I'll allow you to ponder what exactly your punishment would be. You're capable of imagining that, I'm sure."

The chef let out a weak laugh. "Y-Yes sir! Of course!"

Sebastian nodded and proceeded to give him further orders about dinner plans before exiting the kitchen and heading towards the opposite direction. Before he had left, Bard had caught onto to the peculiar look on the demon's face. It was something that lingered in his mind and shocked him for the second time that day.

He never saw the butler look depressed before, and in that one split second, he finally did.

* * *

_"I think…I think I'm going to be able to go home, Janelle."_

That's what Eva told me during a surprise phone call that afternoon. She sounded happy, something I rarely heard from her in the little time we had together. I was a little shocked by the news, but what shocked me the most was what she told me next.

_"Lord Phantomhive sent a few members of the Scotland Yard to track down the whereabouts of my family. They haven't found anything yet, but I…I hope they do…" _

I hadn't spoken to Ciel since he had returned, but I never imagined he would actually help get Eva home. Thinking it over, he probably just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, considering she wasn't an official staff member and would be just another mouth to feed. I could be wrong though, maybe the young Lord had more heart than I thought. He wasn't always so cold and uncaring, and Elizabeth's undying love for him had to prove something. I had wanted to speak to him about it, but he had been busy with a fitting for a new wardrobe, something his fiancé insisted on.

Throughout most of the call, she went on with saying it was all so maddening and unbelievable, but I knew she was overjoyed. Hearing her voice, I knew she was crying tears of happiness. Of course, I was happy for her, assuring her that it'll all be over soon. She still had an inkling of doubt, though, telling me her worries about whether or not her family was killed when she had been kidnapped two years ago. I told her I couldn't be sure. Anything could have happened.

_"He hasn't come around here. I don't think he's going to hurt me again, Janelle. But…"_

I was relieved to hear this; yet her trepidation confirmed the one thing I knew in my mind.

_"Just worry about your own safety, Eva. Stay strong and…I promise I'll see you soon."_

The rest of the day went by numbly, like normal. The usual mistakes, the usual orders, the usual schedule. I stayed by myself mostly. I just didn't feel like associating much with anyone at all. Ever since the call ended with Eva, I began to crawl more and more into myself, waiting for the later hours to come so I could breathe.

But even then, walking outside with no one else around, I didn't feel any better. Each step seemed heavier than the last, but I kept going anyway. Everything felt so automatic, to the point where I hadn't even noticed what I stumbled upon. Right in the midst of the expansive forest, there was a meadow, which possibly could have contained flowers if it hadn't been winter. All the blooms were long dead and there was nothing but weeds and a few patches of grass. The majority was covered in frost from the frigid nights.

Yet what had caught my eyes wasn't this wasteland. None of this compared to who was standing right in the middle of it.

He was there, standing with his back to me. Who knew how long he had been there, but obviously he was waiting for something. Waiting for _me_.

I was sure he knew I had come, but he hadn't turned around just yet. He wanted me to come closer, and so I did. My pulse was beating so loudly in my ears; it seemed to match the pattern of my footsteps. My movement seemed slower, even though I knew I was going at my normal pace.

_Just a little further. It'll be over soon…It'll be over…_

Soon, I was close enough, just a few feet away from him. And that's when he finally spoke.

"You remember when we first met?"

The way he sounded when he said those words, it was different. He almost sounded like he used to when we were together. The old him, the one who always said he'd be there for me no matter what. It was all a lie, a charade he was playing the whole time. It wasn't the real him-the monster who stole nearly everything that mattered to me.

"I remember," he continued, whether or not I had said anything. "I remember when I first laid eyes on you. I knew that I just…had to have you. If anyone else did…" He paused, taking in a deep breath. I could see his shoulder blades visibly outlined through his shirt. "Life…just wouldn't matter…no matter how long I'd keep living…"

He didn't expect any response from me and indeed, he was met with more silence. But it didn't matter. He knew I was listening to every word. He knew that whatever he said always had some sort of effect on me.

When he turned around, I was stunned to see he looked…exhausted, like he had gone for weeks and weeks without feeding. But, no, it was more than that. It wasn't physical exhaustion. It was almost as if he had just…

…given up.

He wasn't meeting my eyes. He was looking behind me, as if I was actually all the way back there than right in front of him. A smile was on his face, but it held no happiness behind it. A slight pain struck my chest at seeing him like this. It was strange, and I hated it so much. Was one last bit of me still in his grasp? I didn't love him. I didn't…

"You were always reading, I recall. Sitting outside your house, with your nose just stuck in those crummy ole books. You had friends, but despite that, you were alone most of the time. A shy girl weren't you?" he teased with a laugh. Seeing him acting friendly was so unnerving; I'd rather he just say something cruel like he usually would. Though, I was shocked he remembered that much. Knowing him, I thought he'd forget it all because he didn't care.

Percival chuckled again, brushing past so that he was behind me. While he moved, he continued on reminiscing. "You were also pretty damn stubborn. Every time I approached you, you'd avoid me like the plague. But…"

I felt his cold hands grasping onto my shoulders, and with barely any effort, he turned me so that I was facing him. "It was crazy. Your parents hated me. Your friends hated me. Shit, even my own parents hated me for pursuing you, a weak, little human. But, you…you didn't." I held my breath when he finally stared through my eyes, revealing a jumble of emotions that confused me. "You accepted me for who I was, didn't you?"

His hand stretched towards me, causing me to flinch on instinct. But he didn't hit me. He gently stroked the hair strands framing the right side of my face, his fingertips grazing against my skin. I felt nothing from his touches. It only disgusted me, no matter how many times he tried.

"Janelle…" he whispered and he began leaning forward, his head bumping against mine.

He saw my eyes beginning to well up and he smiled. His hand grasped the back of my skull, fingers tangled in the wavy tresses.

"Don't…" I uttered a single word but he didn't seem to hear it.

He let out one last laugh and locked gazes with me again. "I lov-"

He couldn't finish that sentence. He never would. The only thing spilling out of his mouth, then, was blood. It splattered on my face when he was suddenly attacked. It gushed from the fatal wound in his chest, directly where his heart lied. It stained the pristine, white glove that was protruding right through him from behind.

He kept my gaze when he had been stabbed, and as my own eyes quivered, his appeared blank, save for the one emotion prominent in them, something I knew all too well.

Fear.

The vampire choked again, a few more red droplets meeting my cheeks before the hand that had stabbed through his heart began to withdraw completely. Percival gritted his teeth at the excruciating pain and without warning; his body fell forward and landed on me. My arms darted out on impulse, grasping onto his weakened form. Struggling under his weight and keeping us both upright, I looked up to see the demon butler standing before us. His aura was far too overwhelming; it could have engulfed the entire forest if he allowed it to. His irises blazed like the flames of hell, like they could set everything to ash with a single look. I was shivering at the murderous intent leaking out of every pore of his body. Terror took hold of me, chilling my bones and causing my knees to buckle.

The demon barely took two strides before his hand grasped onto the back of Percival's neck, cracking it, and threw him a good distance away from me. I gasped at seeing the vampire's body tumbling against the barren ground, like a helpless rag doll. I had never seen him so vulnerable before, but the worst of it was yet to come.

From afar, I heard Percival continue choking on his own blood, and sensing Sebastian coming closer, he shuffled backwards like a coward.

"_Fucking demon! She's-"_

His words were interrupted by a blood-curdling scream, one that haunted me to the core. I placed a hand over my mouth, feeling the burn in my eyes at this horrifying scene. The demon had ruthlessly crushed the vampire's right leg with a mere stomp of his foot. In a blink of an eye, he had also ripped off the same limb and tossed it aside like trash. Percival's screams heightened in volume and my breathing became rapid. The pulsing in my ears was getting louder, along with his screams that only seemed to resonate forever in the empty forest.

Percival continued to curse at Sebastian, but all of his useless words fell on deaf ears. The demon wasn't going to stop this time. There was no way he was going to show an ounce of mercy. That wasn't part of his true nature at all. No, _this _was what he lived for, and he intended to enjoy every bit of it.

The torture the demon was inflicting on him only grew more gruesome, but I found myself not being able to look away. I had always thought I'd run away when it came to this. I thought I couldn't stand to see him die this way. But I proved myself wrong. I stayed and witnessed every minute of the demon's menacing execution.

The screams and curses soon turned into pathetic begging as the pain he was enduring escalated so terribly. Loud snaps and crunching of bones and limbs joined in with the sickening noises and it wasn't long before Percival was left with only one arm. Blood was everywhere, there were several pools of it surrounding the two and much of it was splattered all over the butler. Seeing Sebastian like this, in the midst of killing with that wicked grin, ignited something inside me, something that triggered the other side of me to come forth. And here I thought…I was going to keep hating him…

And then, Percival called for me again.

"Janelle! _Janelle!_" he pleaded like a crazed animal. "You can't…leave me like this! I need you! I need you!"

Sebastian's dark chuckles grew more malicious and once more, he crushed Percival's last good arm, earning another piercing cry that was music to his ears. With his demonic fangs bared as his grin widened, the demon spoke for me.

"My, my, look at you, calling for her like a filthy worm. Do you honestly think she ever truly loved you?" Sebastian inquired in a heartless tone.

Through the blinding pain, Percival was able to catch on to those last few words. His breathing was labored and darkness started clouding his vision, but he had to know.

He could hardly speak but despite the amount of blood collecting at the back of his throat, he managed to choke out some words. "Wha…what the fuck do you mean? You don't know a fucking thing!"

Sebastian merely laughed again, running his blood-soaked glove through his black bangs. "What a cowardice fool, you are. But it's the truth, whether you want to believe it or not. She never loved you and you know why?" He smirked, indulging in Percival's state of distraught. "She had only fallen for the act you put up all those years. That was all. Did you honestly think she would have fallen for the _real _you? The one that abandoned her and allowed her to suffer?"

Percival hissed, wincing in agony and trying so hard to fight against the heaviness setting on him.

"So in the end, you had no one. Not a single person ever wanted-"

"You're no different from me, demon! I know what you did; don't act like you hadn't pulled an act as well! You're more of a monster than I could ever be!" he spat back with all the strength he had left.

Sebastian froze, and if the vampire could, he would have enjoyed laughing at the demon's stunned state. But just when he thought he made a point, the butler shot him down again.

"I admit. I realize I have made a mistake and indeed, you could never match up to anything I have done in the past." The demon shut his eyes for a moment, clenching his fist and causing droplets of blood to spill from his glove. "But there is one vital fact that separates us."

Unexpectedly, Sebastian turned his head towards me, gazing right at my form in the distance. "I would not ever think of abandoning her. I may have failed in not causing her any more suffering, but from this day forth, I vow that I will do nothing but protect her from all else."

He gave a genuine smile and I couldn't react right away. All of this was happening too fast and as usual, I was left speechless.

"Who knows?" He gave his close-eyed grin. "She may end up growing tired of me, but I know that I will not let her out of my sights, not for a second."

The demon heard the vampire squirming on the ground, and in the corner of his eye, he saw that Percival was trying helplessly to get to me, crawling near his feet like a maggot. Sebastian sneered and stomped on the vampire's back, causing him to let out a shrill cry.

Percival coughed and raised his head, giving me a look of desperation. It reminded me too much of how I had once been, the day I had tried to chase after him and then nearly succeeded with my attempted suicide. The day I never became a bride.

"One more thing I'd like to add before you die." The demon's smug grin never left him and he knelt down, grabbing the vampire's head and lifting him to what was left of his severed limbs. "There's another reason why she was never yours to begin with. She belongs to me. From the start, she was always _mine_."

Once more, Percival tried to call for me but the demon gave him no chance. With his hands placed on the vampire's face, he pried it entirely apart, but slowly enough so that he could enjoy the last remnants of his awful screams and cries of my name. This time, I clasped my hands over my ears tightly, not wanting to hear any more of it.

The first man I once knew…was gone.

The rest of him ended in flames. With a strike of a match and the use of his ability to manipulate fire, every part of Percival was incinerated. Immediately, the scent of burning flesh filled my nose, causing my mind to grow foggy and my eyes to burn more than they already had. Before I knew it, tears fell down my face, and I wasn't so sure whether it was because of the horrible smell or what had just concluded right in front of me.

Sebastian turned away from the merciless flames. Watching him walking towards me in this wasteland of the forest, with the fire serving as the background and the moon hovering above, he truly did encompass the image of a devil.

I didn't make any move to avoid him anymore. Where would I go? How far could I make it before he caught me? In the end, he would always find me.

When he was finally near, I could clearly see the damage he had caused; his butler uniform was entirely coated in blood. It looked like he had just exited a battlefield with a thousand men, not with just one. It was overkill, but that's how he wanted it. And right now, he was still basking in his victory.

I had no words to say to him, or maybe my mind was still trying to decipher all that had been said and done. The smoke and burning flesh wasn't helping in the least bit. Sebastian didn't plan to wait for my reaction. Instead he closed the distance between us in an instant, clasping the left side of my face in his bare hands. His long fingers wiped the stray tears away. He had burned his tainted gloves along with the corpse, and the feel of his smooth, warm skin against my cold cheeks was comforting, yet my thoughts were so conflicted.

I saw his mouth move, but I hadn't caught what he said. In an instant, he leaned closer and captured my quivering lips. A burst of energy shot through me and I clutched onto his shoulder, pulling him in until his body was pressed against mine. Though my mind was temporarily hazy, I was able to register the feel of his hands moving from my face down to my waist. One wrapped around my back and clasped the side of my hips, whereas the other rested dangerously close above my rear.

Before I knew it, his hot tongue was running desperately over my full lips, but I had kept my mouth shut. That is until he pulled away for a short moment, his lips still grazing against mine and leaving behind tingling sensations that had me wanting to beg for more.

"Open your mouth, love," I heard him saying in a husky tone, kissing my mouth lightly as he said those words.

I felt his breath against my moistened lips and once I parted them, his tongue slithered right through the small opening, keeping me under his control with his aggressiveness. Allowing his hand to slowly wander up and down the curve of my hip, his tongue ran along the roof of my mouth. With that single motion, he earned a muffled, low moan from me, something he hadn't heard in what felt like a long time. His lips curled against mine and he continued on, exploring the insides of my mouth without falter and with such ferocity, it didn't fail to arouse me. Soon enough, my mind was returning to me and I was kissing him back with as much fire, though he was winning by a long shot.

His cockiness was getting to him, and while he had me drowning in lust, his left hand had wandered upwards in an attempt to pull the top of my dress off my shoulders. His hips began grinding against my core and he had me slammed against the nearest tree. Just when he had my leg hitched over his torso, I finally came to my senses and pushed him off me for the second time that day.

A look of utter surprise took over his handsome features and without a moment to lose, I smacked him as hard as I could. Taking in a few breaths, stuck in a disastrous phase of lust, I was tempted to pull him back and ravage those enticing lips of his, but the better side of me forced me to do nothing except wait for his reaction.

As expected, the trademark smirk appeared on the demon's face, his left cheek reddened slightly by my slap. He captured my hazy eyes with his piercing stare, reflecting his own desire. He spoke no words and simply leaned forward, taking me in another kiss and savoring my taste before pulling away completely. Running his alluring tongue along his lips, his fingers brushed against his cheek and his smug smile never went away.

"I hate you so much," I stated, though my tone was hoarse and I was trying so hard not to smile. I didn't sound convincing at all and he knew it.

"You keep telling yourself that, my dear," he replied and then stepped forward, grabbing me into his arms and embracing me with a strong, but gentle grip.

I let out a deep sigh and wrapped my arms around him in return, my hands grasping onto his lean back. Letting my chin rest against his shoulder, I watched the last of the fire behind him fading away, leaving behind thick clouds of smoke to spiral into the night air.

"I'm sorry…" I heard him whisper in my ear, his hold on me tightening further.

My eyes began to flood again and I swallowed hard, trying to keep a strong front. "You really think it's going to be that easy?"

I felt his head shifting and his mouth press against my neck. With a low chuckle, he replied, "Do I expect to get slapped a few more times until you're satisfied?"

A light scoff escaped me. "Don't sound so damn happy about it, you bastard."

He was smirking again, I just knew it.

"Of course not, love. Of course not."


	36. Tired

**Wow…I struggled majorly with this chapter. This has got to be one of the hardest chapters I had to write, if not the hardest. *sigh***

**In any case, many thanks to _I'mDoneDreaming77_, _VampireSiren_, _fencergal19_, _KHRLover1997_, _piplup225_, _Lady Athenangel_, _Knyttet_, _Princesa de la Luna_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, and _MrsGooglyBear _for the heart-lifting reviews! **

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

My nose buried into her soft, blonde hair and my arms wrapped firmly around her, though I made sure not to crush her delicate form. My eyes were shut in what would seem like contentment, when really, I was trying hard to suppress the tears. I had been doing that a lot lately, holding back a lot of my emotions and trying to stay strong. It was not that easy for me, and I knew that someday, I'd explode. Still though, I had to keep it up. Especially in front of Eva, the only person who hadn't ever hurt me in any way, and I was not about to break down during our last moment.

It took about one week until the select few of the Scotland Yard were able to track down the whereabouts of her family. After praying endlessly and clinging on to the small remnants of hope, Eva could finally breathe again.

Only one of the Yard members had appeared at the Phantomhive townhouse, Fred Aberline, as I recall. He didn't inform me of much, since most was strictly confidential, but so far, Eva's older brother was the only one they were able to get ahold of. Even so, according to what her brother had offered to the Yard, the rest of her family was still alive.

"I had lost my family when I was a young lad, so I can completely understand how hard it must have been to be separated from them. But rest assured, you are safe now, Miss Eva," the young officer had told her while she expressed her gratitude repeatedly, happy tears streaming down her face.

With Mr. Aberline waiting outside in the carriage to bring her home, she had some spare minutes to bid me and the two noble Indians farewell. Agni was the first one she embraced, though while the butler had a few kind words to give; the prince cut him off in the middle of it and grabbed Eva in a bone-crushing hug that had her squeaking in pain and blushing beet red.

"Must you leave so soon? I was hoping that someday I'd take you back to India with me whenever I decide to return!" Soma blurted out during the embrace, catching both Agni and me by surprise.

"P-Prince? Is that true? Y-you and Miss Eva…" Agni trailed off in disbelief, his eyes glittering in awe and his mouth dropping in shock.

Soma let go of her, and seeing his face revealed from behind her head, the blood was rushing to his cheeks as well. I could only smirk in utter amusement; it would seem that Soma and Eva had gotten closer than I had thought.

"Bloody hell, Prince Soma. Don't tell me…you actually have feelings for Eva? Oh this is precious…" I stated between stifled laughs, biting into my knuckles.

Inevitably, the prince threw a childish fit at the implied accusations Agni and I were sending him, but I didn't pay too much attention to what he was barking about. Of course, I was only teasing. I knew that somehow, Eva must have filled that empty hole in his heart that had been left behind by Meena. In exchange, I was sure that my friend had felt less lonely and upset with him around to cheer her up. The two had served well as great companions in their brief time of knowing each other.

After a few more petty shouts from the royal, uselessly convincing us that nothing serious was going on between him and Eva, Agni was able to subdue the prince back to a calmer composure, shuffling Soma to another room so that Eva and I could speak privately.

The two of us knew this was most likely the last time we'd ever see each other. Even if I could choose to meet her again, I just couldn't. This was it. She deserved to live the rest of her life without any more nightmares to haunt her.

"Janelle?" she finally whispered in the silence that had momentarily sent my mind to a better state. Just like that, I was brought back to reality.

I stepped back from her, hands resting on the side of her arms. She gave an infectious smile that filled me with a spark of joy and I couldn't look away. It was amazing how much better she looked compared to the day we escaped from that wretched circus. Though she was still as skinny as ever, her skin was much healthier now, and the glow in her cheeks was prominent. The bruises on her were nearly all healed; the purple coloring having faded to yellow. Her black eye was long gone, and I was able to see the honey brown irises in all their glory.

"I want you to know that…I never thought any less of you when I found out what you really were," she admitted with a genuine look in her eyes. "You're far different from that man and that woman; to me, you're not a monster. And on that day, when you were thrown in the same prison I was in and it all seemed so hopeless, I was really glad you were there. I'm happy to have met you, Janelle. You make me feel strong."

She had taken my hands in hers; rubbing her tiny thumbs over my skin exactly like she did when we met, when she asked me if I was scared. I couldn't hold it back anymore, but I quickly hugged her again so that she wouldn't see the tears that were overflowing.

"I won't ever forget you, Eva," I whispered, keeping her face and scent memorized in my mind.

She laughed lightly and returned the embrace once more. "Same here, Janelle. Thank you for everything."

I walked with her outside, but stopped at the steps as she went on alone towards the carriage that resided a little farther from the entrance. Taking a seat on the stone steps, I watched Eva approaching Mr. Aberline, who tipped his hat in greeting and opened the door for her, only for a secret surprise to hit her at that very moment. My eyes widened a bit at the scene, but a smile soon set on my face when I saw that it was her brother who had been waiting in the carriage the whole time. The two of them embraced immediately, exchanging words that were garbled by more laughter and tears.

My heart ached, no matter how much I tried to ignore it. Watching the reunited siblings increased that emptiness I had inside, but then I reminded myself that I was the one at fault. If I hadn't made those fatal mistakes, if I hadn't run away, I could have been safe and sound. I could have done something better for myself. I could have still been human and lived a normal, carefree life. Maybe I could have had a family of my own by now, and had met someone who treated me more than just a toy.

And then, that's when I looked up, having sensed his unmistakable dark aura, and delved into those crimson eyes of the devilish butler who had suddenly appeared beside me.

_But then, I would have never met him. Was that what I would really want?_

"That's quite a sour face you have," Sebastian bluntly stated with that smirk of his.

I scoffed, though a smile still stayed. "What brings you here? Don't you have your important duties as the Phantomhive butler to fulfill?"

He simply chuckled. "My, are you trying to brush me off already? And after all the trouble I went through in requesting that I be the one to come and get you," he stated that all rather dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead like he usually did whenever the infamous trio committed another blunder.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Sebastian, you shouldn't have done that. I am capable of returning home without an escort."

Sebastian frowned at my words and then stepped closer. I scooted over on the stone step and he let out a sigh of his own. "Oh dear, making me sit down on the ground, are you? Well then, if you'll excuse me…"

I let out a soft snort as he slowly lowered himself to my level, setting himself right beside me on the stone step. Though there was hardly any space between us, he inched closer to the point where I could feel his body heat, and his right arm sneaked behind me, wrapping around my waist to keep me from moving away.

"I have to admit; the young Lord wasn't very pleased at my sudden request. But regardless, it was something I had to do," he stated casually, nodding to the auburn-haired police officer when he, in turn, acknowledged the butler's presence.

"_Had _to do?" I groaned, grasping my head. "Sebastian, I told you-"

The demon shushed me, all the while brushing aside the locks of hair on my left shoulder so that my neck was in view. "Hush now, I don't need you lecturing me on what I should or shouldn't do."

I rolled my eyes-stubborn as always, this damn demon. Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from feeling grateful that he came all this way for me. And so when I smiled at him, he knew right away, his own growing smug at the fact that I had given in.

I watched Eva turn around one last time, waving at me, and seeing Sebastian, she didn't hesitate to do the same. The demon merely smiled while I returned her last farewell. Then, she disappeared for good as she and her brother filed into the carriage, the officer following suit. My eyes stayed glued to the vehicle as it descended down the road, towards a destination I wouldn't ever cross. She was gone now too, but it was for the best.

During my numbing daze, I felt Sebastian's gloved fingers tickling the side of my exposed neck before he drew near and allowed his lips to brush against the tender flesh. I closed my eyes, letting out an unstable sigh, and his arm pulled me in closer against him while he continued planting soft kisses from my neck down to my shoulder. Even through the fabric that covered my skin, his lips were still just as potent, leaving behind those tingling sensations that I was addicted to.

Opening my eyes, I turned and leaned into his body, my head resting against his shoulder. I could feel him smiling against the top of my head, his arm holding me for as long as I wanted. I suppose it was all right. I guess I didn't really need a home, for I already felt the most safe when I was here in his arms. Ironic, but it was the truth.

"I told you I had to come here," he whispered, knowing exactly how I was feeling without me saying anything.

No reply came from me, just another barely audible exhale. The dark clouds rolling in the grey sky certainly fit my mood. Just when I was starting to relax, his hand wandered under my chin, caressing the skin there before lifting it upwards. I found myself staring at those lush lips of his, and I knew he was trying to use his charms on me again. I didn't bother trying to avoid his advances this time, like I had been doing for the past week.

"What are you two doing…Agh! My eyes, they burn!"

I groaned in irritation at the lousy interruption committed by the pesky prince. Our lips had barely touched and the prince just had to choose that moment to show up. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched but other than that, he did well in hiding his annoyance. Instead of pulling away though, he went ahead and did something bolder. The butler's strong arms shifted under me and before I knew it, I was being carried bridal-style right in front of the prince. I snickered at the disgusted expression that formed on Soma's face and I played along, grasping onto the butler's coat and nuzzling against his firm chest.

Sebastian's smirk grew and he stared down the prince with those devilish eyes of his. "Good to see you, Prince Soma, though I am simply here to retrieve this troublesome woman. Apologies for disturbing you, we won't do so any longer."

"Yeah? W-well, good riddance! Here, don't forget to take this with you. I don't need this infecting the whole place," Soma spat and briskly threw my hooded cloak at my face just as Agni approached him from behind.

Agni sighed deeply, once the prince stomped off to another part of the townhouse, and bowed to us. "I deeply apologize for my prince's rudeness. I'm quite sure he holds fondness for you both, despite how he acts."

I scoffed again, fixing the cloak around my form while the butler set me back down on the ground. Before I could say anything spiteful, Sebastian had clamped his gloved hand over my mouth and spoke for us. "How considerate of you to let us know of the prince's hidden feelings; though I assure you, it matters not. You needn't worry too much."

Agni gave an uncertain chuckle and when he caught my eyes, he saw the gratefulness I held in them and he smiled, bowing lightly again and understanding what I meant to say.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Janelle. As for you, Mister Sebastian, I'm sure you will continue excelling with your butler aesthetics. Please have a safe trip back to the mansion."

Without any more last remarks from the prince, the butler and I wasted not another second to head off back to the main house. Along the way, Sebastian's hand grazed against mine and I didn't hesitate in grabbing hold of him, our fingers intertwining. When he heard me chuckling to myself, he turned to see my mischievous grin.

"You are having far too much fun, Janelle, picking on the prince as much as you do," Sebastian stated with his smug smile.

Once I gathered my composure, his eyes softened slightly at the sight of pure amusement on my face. It wasn't often when he got to see me genuinely happy. "Oh, but I could understand how much fun it is to tease someone, like you do, Sebastian. Even though I'm a victim as well, human reactions are just too entertaining!"

The demon's smirk widened and he silently agreed. Throughout his continuous observations, and learning to understand their motives, humans truly were fascinating and quite unexpected. _Not to mention delicious… _He wanted to add, in reference to their souls, but he kept that to himself.

Walking hand-in-hand the entire way, the two of us migrated among the several townsfolk that wandered about the streets of London. For once, I wasn't too bothered with being around these groups of people; to my surprise, I was tolerating it. The demon beside me noticed I wasn't hiding myself in my hood, like I usually would. Seeing me acting so serene, like a freed spirit, almost set his own mind to peace, until the smell of the various human souls around us distracted him, reminding him of his still-bound state.

His jaw clenched and his hand unconsciously tightened on mine, though he noticed I didn't seem to care. A part of him began to think twice about coming out here; he realized long before that working endlessly helped him forget about the stabbing pains that came with his growing starvation. But with the delectable amount of souls passing him by like a gourmet feast, it made his head spin like a tornado. The restraint to hold back his desire of tearing into every one of the surrounding citizens' throats was far too enticing. He pondered what I'd think, speculating I'd be horrified at the idea. Of course, he knew it was utterly irrational; he wouldn't bother succumbing to such barbaric measures. But with these types of scenarios in mind, sometimes he wished I still didn't possess such a human way of thinking.

He nearly had the urge to voice his thoughts to me, curious of what I had to say and to further clarify my reaction, but it was dismissed when he felt cold droplets falling onto his face. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at the sky to see that the clouds were dark and thick, letting loose the rain that was now beginning to pour on the streets of London. Along with that, the people out in the open hurriedly raced for shelter, exclaiming in alarm and distress. He narrowed his eyes, amused at how quickly the streets were cleared, and then sighed. He could already feel himself getting more and more soaked, but not that it was a real issue to him. It was just a nuisance.

"Oh…it's raining…" He heard me stating the obvious in a low tone. He turned to see me looking upwards, with my outstretched hand catching some of the drops. Meeting his eyes, I gave a small smile. "You know, I…actually like the rain."

He raised his eyebrow in interest. "Oh? And why is that?"

I brushed a few wet locks of hair from my face. "This might sound silly, but it makes me think about my parents. I always think that if it's raining wherever I am, it's also raining wherever they are, even if it's not necessarily true. Somehow, I feel like the rain and snow allows me to connect with them in this odd, indiscreet way, that maybe I only know about…" I shrugged lightly. "It helps me get past the bad thoughts in my head, at least…"

Sebastian gazed at me as I explained my reason, and with the distant look in my eyes, as well as my hand beginning to loosen on his, he tried to think of something to distract me from falling back into silence.

"Your mother and father? I wonder how they would react if I were to ever meet them," he pondered the idea with what seemed like genuine curiosity. To be honest, the thought had never occurred to me, and thinking about it now, the possibilities were endless.

I stopped walking; causing the butler to halt in his tracks as well and he looked back at me with the same expression of interest. I bit my lip, realizing how damp the both of us were getting. "That's utterly mad. You know, my parents never knew that_ he_ was a vampire. Sure, they had their suspicions, but they didn't bother going any deeper. They already knew…something was off…"

Sebastian waited for what else I had to say. "I think my mother would probably accept you much easier, but my father is a completely different story. Back then, he had trust issues and he was a bit overprotective…"

"Only a bit?" the demon teased, knowing I had lied at that point.

I chuckled. "Okay, I mean, he was _very_ overprotective."

The demon smirked and he held his chin in thought. "Well, that's certainly understandable. I suppose I could relate to him in that particular aspect, if only a little…"

I sighed, staring down at our intertwined hands and remembering all the hatred and constant arguing that happened between me and my father. We fought so often, sometimes I felt that he had grown to despise me. I wouldn't be surprised if he had.

I shut my eyes for a moment. "I don't even want to imagine how ballistic he'd be if he found out I turned into a monster…"

"Come now, dear. I'm positive he'd accept you, no matter what you are," Sebastian tried to assure me.

"Indeed he would, sir. With a stake in his hand and an abundance of garlic, he would," I joked, letting out a dry laugh.

His lips curled into his devious smile. "If he's going to do that much, then he'd have to whip out the holy water and the cross as well if he wants to stave us off effectively," he played along, making me snicker a little too loudly.

"Oh lord, to think I used to believe those tactics actually worked on demons when I was a kid…" I shook my head with a sigh. "It'd never work out…and it doesn't matter." My gaze drifted for him, wandering off to nowhere ahead of us.

With one hand, Sebastian pinched my cheek hard, like he did at times when he intended to make a point, and I was forced to snap back to him. "You don't need them, Janelle. Look how far you've survived on your own. And you're not completely alone anymore either." He rested his hand on my cheek. "If I am not on my master's side, I am on yours."

He felt my face warm up just a tad through his soaked gloves and his smirk widened at seeing a dash of pink on my pale skin. His intent stare followed the trail of water leading to my lips and his thumb brushed over the soft, wet flesh.

My hand reached up, moving aside a strand of hair that had slipped over his eye. I watched the rain droplets dripping from the tip of his nose, examining how his soaked appearance suited him rather well. His black bangs were matted, though it only seemed to make him all the more attractive, framing the way his face was structured perfectly.

A shudder ran through me, diverting my attention to how my dress was beginning to stick to my form, and I didn't like it one bit.

He raised his eyebrow, catching me shivering in that split second. "Are you cold?"

I smiled lightly and rubbed my nose with the back of my hand. "Always, Sebastian. All the time."

While I pulled my hood over my head, hoping to hold in some heat, the butler was removing his black trench coat from his shoulders. He gave me the sternest of glares before I could even protest and wrapped his coat around me.

"There we go. It may be a bit damp on the outside, but the interior is quite fine," Sebastian stated with his close-eyed smile. He examined how the large article of clothing seemed to swallow up my body and he chuckled. "You look like such a child. Is it too heavy?"

I merely shook my head. I could already feel my cheeks blooming redder than before, from both the immediate warmth and his thoughtful gesture, and I grabbed his coat tighter against me. "Thank you, Sebastian. So, I assume demons don't get that cold?"

He merely took my hand again and led us forward down the remaining miles ahead. "You should know that I'm stronger than that-" He stopped when he saw me burying my nose in the coat with my eyes closed.

His smug smile returned. "What are you doing?"

I blinked a few times and shrugged. "Um…nothi-"

Out of nowhere, a loud boom of thunder echoed above us and I flinched involuntarily at the noise. Hesitantly meeting his gaze and seeing the rising amusement in those crimson orbs, I quickly blurted, "I-I'll race you back to the manor!"

That devious smile of his only grew darker and he stepped closer to me. "You're afraid of thunder."

"No, I'm _not_." I played it off and skipped ahead of him. "Can we please just-"

Another crash sounded in the skies and he laughed at how I cringed further into his coat, my fingers grasping onto the rim of my hood as I pulled it down to conceal more of my face.

Feeling him incase me in his arms, he whispered, "Don't worry, Janelle. Remember, thunder is but a sound. It could never actually harm you, silly girl."

I gave an irritated sigh. "Are you done?" I asked behind the shield of his coat, still hearing him chuckling away while we trudged onwards.

He scoffed, keeping his firm grip on my hand. "Done with you? _Please_. Not in the slightest."

* * *

The storm continued on into the night, though it wasn't too vicious and there was no more thunder or lightning. The muffled, calm rain against the walls and the window was mainly all that resonated in the dead silence. Yet there was one other sound that was not as clear, and strangely enough, it appeared to be Pluto howling outside.

It was true that the demon hound would sometimes be heard in the middle of the night, but at this late hour, he sounded different. He almost sounded like he was upset, even angry. I didn't believe my instincts at first, telling me that his howls seemed to signal that something bad was going to happen soon. But now, as I was lying on the butler's unoccupied bed, second thoughts erupted in my head. I often tried to shake them off, but according to several events in the past, I knew there was no use in trying to ignore them completely. Still though, I just wanted this one, small moment of relative peace to last.

"Janelle?"

My eyes snapped open and in what had seemed like a mere second later, Sebastian had returned from finishing his daily preparations for the next day. Despite the darkness, I was able to see every detail of his face like normal. The expression he wore held both the usual amusement and a hint of curiosity.

He raised an eyebrow, like he was concerned. Placing his hand on my head, he said quietly, "You were sleeping. I don't usually find you like that whenever you're in my room."

I offered a small smile as his long fingers lightly scratched against my scalp, like I was one of his personal cats in the closet. "It's a little odd," I replied. "Sometimes I find I fall asleep better on certain days compared to others. But lately, I've been sleeping more than usual..."

"Is that so? Well then…"

The butler straightened himself from his kneeling position beside the bed and then relieved himself of his tailcoat, setting it on the chair near his desk. I adjusted my position, rolling over on my side to where he was standing and watched him carry out his nightly routine. He removed his white gloves like normal, allowing me to see his ominous black nails that I always found strangely intriguing. Yet that was all he bothered setting aside-his tailcoat and gloves. Usually, he'd remove his tie and vest as well, but for some reason that night, he ended it there and simply turned around to where I was. Gazing down at me with a hidden look in his eyes, an expression of pure innocence crossed me before I complied with his silent request of making room.

After scooting over and giving him the most space on his bed, he rested himself onto the mattress, making only the smallest of creaks. Every movement he made seemed so perfect and effortless, lithe and stealthy, like he didn't have to try so hard. That may have been true, but it didn't fool me. Through his unwavering composure as the most exceptional butler of the Phantomhive family, I knew that even a demon like him had his limits.

"How did the rest of the work go?" I found myself asking automatically.

He scoffed at my question and rested his back against the headboard, his hand brushing through his slightly disheveled fringes. "It went well, as per usual. I was able to finish it all in due time." A smile broke on his face and once again, he sent me an inquiring look. "Why do you ask? As the Phantomhive butler, you should know that I-"

"You seem tired today, Sebastian. More so than the other night I came by…" I avoided his intense gaze for a spell. "I'm...just worried about you."

The demon's eyes widened a bit while I wasn't looking, my attention diverted to a stray string sticking out from the hem of my sleeve. With the words I just spoke, he realized that he couldn't hide every little thing from me, just as he could figure out my own motives and feelings at times as well. In the end, there were things we just knew; he had to know that I would be there for him too, even if he didn't necessarily need me.

Hearing him let out a light sigh, I looked back up at him while he clasped his hands together over his abdomen. "There is no need for that, Janelle. All this work simply must be done. It is a given fact and soon enough, it will all pay off once I achieve what I desire."

"How do you do it, Sebastian? How do you find the strength to keep going like this?" I blurted out, catching him a bit off guard again. He craned his neck to look at me, seeing my expression harden. I continued yanking on the stubborn string. "I mean…if I were in your position, I'd probably just want to be done with it and kill him on the spot…"

The demon laughed at my confession and my eyebrows furrowed, expecting him to mock me like he always did. "My dear, you're thinking like a vampire. We demons must do what we have to do, at least those who form contracts. You remember what I told you before; there_ are_ those who take the easy way to attain satisfaction." Sebastian leaned off the headboard and lowered himself to the point where he was lying on his back next to me, his head rested on the pillow. "But watching my young Lord over the past years I've served him, observing all that he had to deal with in order to accomplish his duty, it proves to be quite entertaining, I'll admit."

Seeing that I was now on my back and glaring at the ceiling, he chuckled again and turned on his side. "Speaking of my master, he and I will be heading to Paris tomorrow on another request from the Queen."

I gasped and shifted my head to him. "What? Already? And to_ Paris_?!" Realizing my voice was rising in volume, I quickly composed myself, letting out a deep exhale. "I wish I could go with you, but not this time…"

The butler smiled and asked, "Did you live in Paris when you were with your parents?"

I shook my head. "No, I lived a little farther from the major city life. It was a small town where I once resided."

There was short pause before I turned on my side again and was now face-to-face with him. "I'm so curious, Sebastian. Please tell me more about your past contracts. The last story you told me had me thinking about it for hours!"

His smirk widened. "Oh, why is that? Was it because you were struggling to overcome your _burning_ jealousy? She was simply my old mistress, Janelle, nothing more. I'm flattered to know that you care _that _much…" he teased, caressing the side of my reddening cheeks with the back of his hand.

I merely pouted in anger and he continued. "All right, but on one condition-you'll have to tell me something about your past as a human."

"Deal. Shall I add _him_ to the mix?" I joked with a mischievous grin, though I knew it wasn't the least bit funny.

"_No_," he stated in a flat tone, the red of his irises flashing dangerously.

"I _will_, if you skip out on the details again," I replied playfully, grasping and pulling on his tie.

He let out one exasperated sigh and this time, I knew I had won, even if it was the tiniest of petty victories. And then, a look of deep thought crossed his face before he began.

This was what I found myself doing in the few nights that I had with him, before he would inevitably have to leave with his master. While he was busy fulfilling his late night duties, I would often wait for him in his bedroom, finding that lying alone in my room made me feel uneasy and empty. Ever since Percival died, I'd still get flashbacks of how he was dismembered right in front of me and his awful cries would still ring in my head. The demon knew, and at first he ignored the fact that I was getting nightmares. He had killed the vermin; that was all he wanted.

But on the first night I came to his room, curled up on his bed and burrowed in his sheets because the smell of burning flesh still seemed to linger, he decided to tell me about his old masters and contracts. Of course, he refused to reveal about every detail, cutting out several chunks of information that I still didn't understand why he kept from me, but it was good enough. I was able to deal, and in this indiscreet way, he was helping me heal and forget.

In turn, I would rack my brain trying to recall anything interesting to tell him about my once normal life, but he assured me that anything I offered would be sufficient. I always thought my own ridiculous tales were nothing in comparison to his, but he seemed to find them strangely interesting. Perhaps because he knew they were lame, but it didn't matter. With the nights that followed, I found that this was the closest I had ever felt with the demon, and it only made me want to draw even closer to him.

_Drown in the darkness…_

My hand wandered to his left, taking it in my grasp and allowing my fingers to trace the intricate pentacle symbolizing the Faustian contract. His hand twitched on impulse but he didn't pull away. He knew I had something to say by the way my eyes were glazed over in thought.

"Sebastian…" I started. "What will you do after you're done with all this?"

The demon butler listened to the rain beginning to diminish outside before he answered. "I will just have to wait and see. It depends on the end circumstances, but-"

He stopped when he suddenly felt my arms wrap tightly around him, my face hidden in his chest. He blinked once and then looked down, only to see the top of my head. A sly smile crossed his lips. "What's this? Just a few nights ago, you pestered me not to touch you. Does this mean you…"

"I don't know what will happen in the future, but somehow, I wish that I could always be at your side," I admitted abruptly, feeling that ache in my chest becoming worse the more I thought about being alone…in a place where he wasn't.

"My, you sound so serious," he simply replied in that playful tone of his.

"Because I am…"

I felt no immediate movement from him, and for what seemed like a long time, all that was breaking the silence was the dwindling showers of rain against the window. And then, I finally felt his strong arms encircling me, returning my unrelenting embrace.

"Once more, you shouldn't worry so much. There is one thing I am most certain of, and that is that I shall have you with me," he assured me in a soft tone that eased my tension.

"Always…?" I asked with uncertainty.

"Indeed." He ended it there, pressing his lips against my forehead when I lifted my head to look at him.

I wanted to believe that was the truth. I sincerely hoped that what he said would happen. Those last words and my own thoughts clouded my mind, but every time his fingers brushed through my hair, and his comforting scent took over my senses, everything seemed like it would turn out okay. Everything would be the way we wanted it to be.

I stayed in his arms and he made no move to distance us. Holding him close like this, his chin rested upon my head, my cheek pressed against his chest, my hand grasping onto his back, and his warmth encasing me in safety, I wanted time to stop entirely.

Yet instead, time went too fast.

Soon, the rain stopped, and in its wake, the first few rays of sunlight began peeking through the window above his bed, shining down on us. Dawn was breaking and I flinched at the feel of the sharp rays on my skin.

And that's when I felt him releasing me.

_No! _I wanted to say. _Stay. I don't want you to go._

But I knew it was useless in trying to change things that couldn't be changed. The rising sun highlighted the serious expression he now wore, signaling that a new day was here. Once more, he had to continue with his role.

A single, good moment never seemed to last long enough, and the real truth of the matter was...

He wouldn't be there forever.


	37. Cat Got Her Tongue

**New update already, mah peeps! **

**Thank you to the lovelies _VampireSiren_, _fencergal19_, _Princesa de la Luna_, _piplup225_, and _pammazola_ for reviewing the last chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Right when he saw the certain look in my eyes, he wasted no time. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me right into the small, dark room, where he had just finished finalizing the lodgings for his lord over the telephone.

A deep scowl set on his face as his sights focused on the watery film over my eyes. At first he was confused, but now he was getting irritated.

"Don't you dare."

I swallowed hard and then mustered up a smile. "I know…"

"No, you don't." He backed me up against the wall, eliminating any breathing space between us. Not that there was anywhere for me to move much, the room was certainly narrow and could easily make a person claustrophobic.

He placed one hand near my head on the wall, keeping me caged within his grasp. He leaned his forehead against mine, his vibrant gaze searching through the blue depths of my irises. "I absolutely despise when you do that."

I sighed heavily. "Yes, I know. That's why…"

"You still don't get it, do you? I don't care whether you shed tears or not. But what I cannot stand is when you try and hide what you truly feel," he stated in a stern tone, pulling away so that I could see the serious expression he wore.

His firm demeanor melted away in a matter of seconds when he continued on. "There's no need to act so strong in front of me. I want you to let everything go in my presence. I don't want you hiding anything from me. You should know that by now."

He waited for what I had to say. I was being stubborn, trying once more to swallow down the growing lump in my throat. Then, I spoke softly, "But…I need to stay strong. I hate it when I fall weak, because then…"

My voice trailed off and he used this opportunity to pin my body completely. My back met the wall and his lower half pressed against my body. Before I could bother finishing what little I had to say, his warm lips roughly met mine, bruising them on harsh contact and igniting the dire yearning I had for him. A breathy gasp escaped me as he pried my mouth open with the brutal force of his kiss, pushing past my soft lips and indulging in the sweet taste of our tongues meeting and rubbing against one another.

On instinct, my core began moving against his hips and he responded with as much fervor, grasping my thighs and lifting my legs so that they were wrapped around his torso. He pressed himself closer, and though we were fully clothed, I could feel his arousal burrowing deep against my center, the heat quickly rising inside me. My body was reacting so strong and fast, easily succumbing to his aggressive, lustful actions. How badly I wanted, no, _needed_ him… My pulse was rising like mad and my breathing grew heavier, almost at a desperate rate in response to his greedy touches.

Once he had a taste of me, he couldn't pull away and neither could I. He had me addicted and our mouths moved together nonstop, licking and biting, trying to satisfy the growing desire inside of us but finding we just couldn't get enough.

Sebastian growled lowly, pulling on my lower lip with his teeth before letting go, leaving me breathless and flushed. He then whispered against my tingling lips, "I could just _eat you up_, Janelle..."

A sly smile crossed my reddened lips and I smashed my mouth against his once more. Biting his velvety lips in return and licking off miniscule droplets of blood, I responded, "Not if I do it _first_."

The demon's smirk grew wider and his mouth wandered to my jawline, nipping the soft spots while his fingers were busy undoing the buttons of my collar. A part of my neck was exposed and his lips attached there like a magnet, his tongue darting along the tender skin. He hummed in utter content and I closed my eyes, loving the vibrations of his muffled voice against my throat. Unknown to me, the demon found the taste of my flesh nearly satisfying, as if it was a temporary drug that could hold off his vicious hunger. If he could have his way with me now, he imagined me surrendering to every one of his sinful touches, writhing in pleasure under him like before, and he knew. If he could just have a_ true_ taste of me…Such sweetness, he thought, something he could just devour like a ravenous animal. It truly made his fangs ache for so much _more_.

Yet he knew something else, something far more important. His desires were not above his master's orders, and therefore had to be set aside for the time being.

I felt his head lift from my neck as he pulled back to look at my face again. He still had my legs wrapped around him, our bodies still so close. He saw the hint of surprise on my face, as well as the passion that burned in my eyes. He gave a genuine smile then, pleased to realize that I wanted him as much as he desired me.

My hands rested on his broad shoulders and I almost wanted to demand why he stopped. But snapping back to my senses, reality came rushing back.

"My dear, have I gained back your trust?" he asked me.

I had to think that one over, for it had only been a few days and nights. I knew deep inside that my trust in him was still shaky. He was a demon after all, a deceiving and manipulative creature feared by most mortals, and there was only so much that I could believe…but…

_"You are my mate."_

That's what he told me before.

Sebastian saw the uncertainty in my eyes as I sighed and said, "I don't think I can trust you completely yet…I need more time."

The demon merely smirked at my answer, letting out a chuckle and not looking at all disappointed. Instead, he seemed amused, as per usual; he was enjoying the little challenge I was putting him up to. I did say it wasn't going to be that easy, no matter how tempting he could be with his devilish charms.

"Stubborn girl, I see. Hmm, well then, I suppose I can't change your mind entirely but, will you believe what I am about to say, just this once?" he urged me, keeping my gaze locked with his. When I gave him my utmost attention, he continued, "Just know, dear, that no matter what happens, whatever obstacles that may get in my way, I will return. I will come back to you."

The lump in my throat was getting harder to keep down and I bit my lip. I remember Agni telling me this, but hearing those words coming out of the demon's mouth in person was far more meaningful. I supposed, slowly, that I could find the will to trust him again.

"You better not break that promise, sir. Or I'll never, _ever _forgive you," I stated sternly, though Sebastian knew that despite the tone of my voice, I was going to believe what he was saying. I was giving him a chance.

He nodded, his close-eyed grin coming into effect. "I vow that I won't, love."

The demon saw that I wasn't faking it or hiding what I was feeling anymore. He saw the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes and finally, a true smile spread on my lips, happiness lighting up my face. Allowing his lips to touch mine once more, he saw a single tear escape down my cold cheek. Pulling away with a genuine smile of his own, he brushed it away with his thumb. With just that simple motion, feeling his gloved hands against my skin once more, I was happy and he was able to leave knowing that I was going to be just fine on my own.

I was going to be all right.

* * *

At first, I thought it was just a part of my dream, because _he_ came back. The way he called my name still echoed in my head over and over, but I found that I was able to tune it out better that night as I lay on the butler's bed. The empty room served some momentary peace and quiet to ease my frazzled thoughts. My dead ex-lover's voice was becoming dull, as if he was getting buried in a grave my messed up brain was creating.

Soon though, I saw another bizarre vision while I was resting. As it progressed, it seemed to be a continuation of that vision I had seen when I had nearly visited death's door. Percival's cries of my name were long gone and instead, I began to hear an ominous, deep voice muttering words I couldn't comprehend. Once more, I saw those black talons, the sleek, leathery skin, and those fiery, demonic eyes that hypnotized me in a trance I was willing to fall into. Yet instead of those dark, emerald green flames that had served as part of his intimidating aura, raven black feathers were raining down above my head. I tried to reach out for them, but every time they touched even the tip of my fingers, they shriveled and faded into nothing but sparkling black dust.

Then, the black dust began warping into those thick clouds of smoke on the night of the vampire's murder. It was getting harder to breathe, and the panic that arose was only making it worse. The smell of incinerating flesh was not present this time; it was only the intense heat that seemed to take over everything. How I hated fire…the pain of being burned was far more immense as a vampire than when I was human. I had learned that the hard way, back in my wandering days.

I fell to my knees; the smoke was becoming far too heavy and overwhelming. Hastily scanning my surroundings, I tried to see through the dark shadows that were surrounding me.

_Wake up! _I told myself. There was something wrong. This wasn't just a dream. It was like the fires were real, too real, too hot…

…

That's when I finally snapped my eyes open. Only to find that the heat I was sensing wasn't going away. A tremendous fire was literally breaking out around the Phantomhive estate.

In an instant, I had sprung out of Sebastian's bed, a wave of alarming thoughts attacking me one after the other. I thought about the state of the manor, the servants, and the cause of this sudden emergency. Yet the strangest thought that triggered me to move the most was what resided inside of the demon butler's closet.

I pried open his wardrobe, expecting to see the same amount of cats as the one time I had examined his closet, but to my surprise, there was only one particular feline remaining-the brown kitten that I had found and gave to him. A spark of curiosity rose at the thought of Sebastian having let the other cats go free, but without another second to waste, I scooped up the kitten in my arms. To my relief, Cocoa didn't protest and I made my way out of the butler's room, racing down the hallway.

Feeling the soft fur of the animal against my arms, I thought I was absolutely insane; to think I was worrying about the safety of his feline friends before anyone else. Sometimes I pondered whether or not I was starting to adopt parts of the demon's thinking process, but that idea was even more bizarre than anything else that crossed my mind. Trying to keep a clear head, I dashed my way down to the servants' quarters.

The first servant I came across happened to be Tanaka, and although he was still in his deflated form, he was already alerting the other Phantomhive staff members.

"Blimey! What the hell is going on out there?!" the booming voice of Bard called and he busted his way out of his bedroom.

"Bard, thank goodness, you're okay," I blurted without really thinking.

The cook caught sight of me and gave a sigh of relief. Scratching the back of his head, he answered, "Of course, I'm all right! But where's Mey-Rin and Finny?"

Tanaka's chortle broke through our state of alarm and we turned our attention to the old steward, who pointed down the hall. The two of us exchanged glances and then followed him outside, where the maid and the gardener were already running around in anxiety and panic.

"Pluto! Pluto, no!" Finny cried and all of us looked on in horror at the sight of the demon hound setting the entire forest and manor to flames with his dangerous ability. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of his spiky collar glowing bright, wondering if it was the cause of his sudden rampage. Through the smoke and heat waves, I was also able to catch on to the sight of a white figure sitting on top of the hound. Heightening my senses, I tried to decipher who it was.

The trio was shouting to each other on what to do, as well as trying to call Pluto back, even though it was useless. The demon hound had officially lost all control over his mind. Despite the confusion and the suffocating heat that settled on us, I was able to identify the person in white by their powerful aura, which almost seemed to match up to Sebastian's caliber. Pluto was already disappearing through the burning forest, but it was enough time for me to realize that what I was sensing, to my utter shock, appeared to match the aura of that certain woman from the Houndsworth village. Yet another person I was hoping I'd never come cross, and yet here she was.

Angela? No, for some reason, she didn't seem the same as before. It may have been my imagination, but the moment before Pluto fled, I spotted what appeared to be wings on her back. White wings that I thought were like those of a bird's. But comparing her aura to Sebastian's a second time, it didn't seem quite right…

Needless to say, I was utterly confused and too shocked to think straight. For all I knew, my mind had gone off the deep end, because nothing made sense. The real fact was that Pluto was gone, leaving behind a terrible wreck of the area and destroying the manor once again.

"Everybody, please stay calm," an elderly voice entered the scene and the trio and I turned around to see that Tanaka had returned to his regular human form. It seemed he always reverted back whenever there was an important matter or crisis to attend to.

The steward looked up at the estate, watching it begin to crumble in various sections. To think that Sebastian had just repaired the manor to its glorious state after the ambush of the first-tier circus members, and now this was happening. I couldn't help thinking this place was cursed to be doomed.

"We have to put out the fires, we do…" Mey-Rin declared in the silence, her face saddened as she lifted her spectacles from her face to reveal her hazel eyes.

"But what about Pluto? I saw someone take him away!" Finny cried. He couldn't look away from where the hound had run off to.

"We can't go after him now, but as soon as we put out these fires, we'll scout for that mutt, got it?" Bard assured him, placing a hand on the gardener's shoulder in comfort.

I stood beside Tanaka, who turned to me with a sad smile. Though I could see the kindness that stayed in his eyes, I found that there was something deeper in them. It was as if he had known everything, far more than I could ever realize. All this time, he had been on the sidelines, observing all that happened in the day-to-day lives of every person living at the Phantomhive estate. He must have known about the dark secrets, or at least had a good premonition. Did he know Sebastian was a demon? Did he realize the young Earl had essentially sold his soul to the devil? He had to have known; there was no doubt that despite how normal he acted, he knew it all.

It was almost scary. One look in those aged eyes of his, having witnessed many things in his long life serving this prestigious family, and it was like he could see right through me. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew what I truly was.

Cocoa began to stir in my arms and I was brought out of my deep train of thought. Looking down, the kitten, cradled in my arms like a baby, gazed up at me with its gray eyes and began squirming against my hold. I smiled lightly and set him down to the ground, allowing the feline to stretch his limbs. I kneeled down to his level, petting his chocolate-colored fur. In the back of my mind, I hoped that the circumstances weren't going to get worst. Pluto's howling in the middle of the previous night was like a bad omen, and no matter how much I tried to think positive, the bad feelings I kept having only escalated further.

It was only the beginning-starting once more with a devastating fire.

* * *

Early the next day, just as Bard had promised Finny, the four of us set off towards downtown London in search of the furious demon hound. The Phantomhive manor had suffered greatly from the hellish fires, sustaining significant damage inside and out. In its current state, it looked almost impossible to fix to its former glory. Tanaka had decided to stay behind while the rest of us went on with our hunt. Perhaps he had wanted to pay his respects to what was left of the manor; the old steward didn't elaborate on his reason for staying.

I could never foresee that the moment I caught a glimpse of the veteran standing at the burned entrance of the once proud manor, it was to be the very last time I would see him.

_"You have a kind heart, Miss Janelle. Do not be afraid to let it show."_

We hardly ever spoke to each other since the day I was recruited, as he was always in his 'quieter' state, so I was surprised to hear him speaking directly to me. It was something he told me out of the blue as soon as the trio was out of ear shot. I wondered why he specifically mentioned that about me, and at such a disastrous moment like this. Yet thinking it over, I suppose there was no better time he could have said it. It was either then or not at all.

_"Thank you for your guidance, Mister Tanaka. I have always held great respect for you. Please take care."_

I didn't mean for it to sound like a final farewell. However, fate seemed to have other plans, thwarting me down a different path I would follow soon.

…

The bad feelings were coming true. The nightmare continued into the later hours and just like that, it was night fall again. Pluto was wreaking havoc on practically all of London and people were running back and forth in a frantic frenzy. Things were going completely out of control, and the four of us ended up getting separated amongst the fiery chaos.

The last words I had recalled from the servants were mostly on how to get Pluto back to the way he was. Bard had his gun with him, loaded with tranquilizers.

Finny had a hopeful expression on his face as he watched Pluto atop one of the highest buildings. _"He's like family to us. It's going to work, it has to!"_

Just before we had divided, I had seen the look Bard wore as he gazed down at the rifle in his hands. I could just tell what was on his mind at that point.

_"I don't even want to think about it…" _The cook had muttered under his breath before aiming his weapon at the demon hound in an attempt to sedate him.

As I continued walking amongst the burning city, death surrounded me the further I lost myself. A few live citizens rushed for safer areas or boats waiting to take them elsewhere. The majority of what covered the streets was debris and multiple scorched bodies. And of course, there was fire. The flames were everywhere, burning stronger  
than ever. One could relate this scenery to what Hell was depicted as, if only in the slightest. My mind played with the thought as it crossed with another, imagining how Sebastian would possibly laugh at the comment of burning London being compared to his home. I could only assume Hell was worse, far worse. I should be used to this by now, continue to grow numb to all this carnage.

I often found myself looking down near my feet to make sure Cocoa was following close by. The kitten was mostly silent, save for the occasional meow and hiss whenever he came upon something interesting or gross, like the corpses. I smiled warmly at the sight of him every time; I was very glad he was here with me. Whenever I set eyes on the feline, he was like a constant reminder for me to keep going forward. _Don't be afraid._

My sights darted downwards once more, yet this time, the brown cat wasn't where I expected him to be. My pulse jolted and I immediately looked around, only to see that Cocoa had wandered ahead of me. Letting out a short sigh of relief, I caught up to the cat and kneeled down next to him.

"You scared me, you little rascal. I thought I had lost you for a second there…"

Cocoa let out a meow of what sounded like curiosity, his round eyes fixated on the burning building in front of him. I followed his line of vision and tried to figure out what he was sensing ahead of me. It wasn't hard for me to catch onto what the feline was sensing. In a split second, my ears were able to hear a tiny voice inside of the two-story home. Standing to my feet and approaching the residence, my eyes narrowed and then widened; I wasn't just imaging things. The voice of what sounded like a trapped child was what the feline and I was hearing.

"Oh no…" I muttered to myself and then glanced back at Cocoa. "Stay there, I'll be right back!" I told him, even though I wasn't sure if he'd listen. The cat merely remained where he was, his gray eyes still glued to whatever he was staring at. I hesitated for a minute, the flames getting harsher the closer I got to the building before I snapped out it and kicked the weak door down.

The terrified cries were still distant and from where I was standing in the crumbling building, the child was upstairs. Moving as fast as possible, I carefully stepped around the weakening floor boards, blocking out the flames with my arm over my head. A large block of wood sailed down just as I looked up at the stairs and I quickly backed up, watching the debris crash to the ground in a massive heap, causing more flames to burst.

It was getting hotter and far more dangerous, but I wasn't about to run away. Bracing myself, I leaped over the debris, colliding onto what remained of the staircase. Looking behind me, I noticed that I wouldn't be able to go back the same way I came as more falling pieces began blocking up the entrance. I pushed myself onto my feet, staying still to listen and heard the girl coughing to the left of where I was. Wasting no time, I used my enhanced speed to my advantage, not caring anymore if I was going to get burned in the process. I raced down the hallway, jumping over various holes and busting through random doors.

"Come on, where are you?"

I winced, starting to feel the pains of random burns I had attained but I ignored it. Pushing through one last door, I finally came across the girl, who lay unconscious on the ground. I sped to her body, picking her up and praying that she was still breathing. On impulse, the broken window in front of me was the first thing I spotted. Glancing at the girl, I made sure she was secure in my grasp before knocking down the remaining portions of the window and then crawling out of there. Once on the roof, I jumped down from the second floor. I was able to land on my feet safely and taking in a gust of fresh air, I exhaled in relief.

"I did it...I actually did it," I whispered to myself and then diverted my attention to the girl. "Are you all right, little one? You're safe now."

Silence. I gently turned her face towards me, and to my horror, I saw the unmistakable frozen look in her eyes. The girl wasn't responding. I gasped and then lowered my head near her parted mouth, finding that her breathing did, indeed, cease.

"No, no, no, you're not dead. You're not dead!" I exclaimed, shaking the girl's small body. I pressed my ear against her chest, hoping to hear a hint of life, a heartbeat, _anything_. Nothing, I heard absolutely nothing. My hand rose to the girl's cheek, finding that it was just as cold as my own skin. She was dead, but I didn't want to believe it.

I kept muttering words of denial to myself, grasping my head, my horrified stare glued to the girl's still face. Her eyes were open, and after another moment, I convinced myself to accept the morbid reality. Just as I reached out to close her eyelids for good, a most dramatic voice interrupted my action.

"Oh dear, another dead broad we have here! The work just seems to never end!"

The clicking of heels against the cobblestone met my ears and I slowly looked up to see vibrant crimson. It was all I saw, that color. Red shoes, red cloak, long red hair, and upon seeing this person's face, I was taken by shock once again.

No way…

The redheaded male frowned at the dead girl, making 'tsk' sounds as he tapped his finger against his chin. "It's absolutely dreary looking at nothing but burned bodies one after the other. Why can't one of them be covered in _blood _for once? Oh!" He clapped his hands together and grinned, revealing his razor sharp teeth. "That would be utterly magnificent! A beautiful death indeed~!"

The flamboyant reaper paused in the middle of his brief monologue when he finally took notice of my presence. His lime green eyes met my dark blue ones and a sneer crossed his lips.

"And what do we have here? You're still alive?"

One minute, he seemed overjoyed and in the next minute, he was suddenly angry. I didn't expect his next rather _violent_ move and before I knew it, I was slammed against a half-broken wall, the reaper's gloved hand clenching around my neck. I winced from the collision and was choking due to his extremely strong grip. My fingers clawed at his arm in an attempt to loosen his hold.

He growled and pushed me further into the wall. "How rude! Staring at a lady like you did with those disgusting eyes of yours! Who do you think you are?!"

It took me a moment to realize who he was referring to-_himself_. A smirk managed to creep onto my mouth, despite how tightly he was gripping me. He was incredibly strong indeed, even though he didn't look it. Judging someone by appearance was definitely a no-no here.

"A…l-lady? I-is that what y-you really…a-are?" I dared to question his gender, not necessarily scared of him.

As expected, the red-clad reaper grew more furious and his other hand searched for something in his jacket. "Oh, you certainly want to die, don't you?! Splendid! Allow me to grant you a slow and torturous death as I drown you in nothing but red!"

I coughed out a weak chuckle and clenched onto his wrist. "Y-you…think…that's a g-good idea?"

"Of course, it is! It's a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself! Now, shut your trap and let me-"

He stopped all of a sudden, his temporary, 'ultimate' death scythe of tiny scissors frozen in midair just as he was about to tear the blades into my face. My vision was starting to get clouded in black, but noticing I was still able to see the dangling skulls attached to his red spectacles, I knew I was clinging onto the last bits of life.

Yet the reaper had halted in killing me. Now that he was close enough, and even through his rage, he had found that there was something oddly familiar about me in the last second. _Disturbingly_ familiar at that.

Shaking in the remnants of his fury, his eyes darted to the cursed scissors in his grasp. The degrading and highly embarrassing death scythe reminded him of why his glorious chainsaw was confiscated in the first place. Gritting his razor teeth, he forced himself to withdraw his weapon and reluctantly pried his fingers from my neck, letting me go.

I fell to my knees, clutching my badly bruised neck as I paused to regain my strength. The redhead crossed his arms, peeved off that he couldn't risk killing me. Glaring daggers at my pitiful head, the reaper spat, "You should feel lucky that I spared your worthless life! To think I showed mercy, how revolting! But I've got too much on my hands as it is…Oh William, why must you be so harsh on poor, little me~! I don't deserve this harsh punishment!"

The reaper had turned on his heel, his back to me while he spoke to himself in his theatrical manner. Getting back on my feet, my hand still held my neck but I was able to function again.

"Grell…Sutcliff?" I spoke in a hoarse tone.

"Hmm~?" The redhead turned around to me, his eyebrows already furrowed in irritation. "You know of my name? Who exactly are you? I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can hardly believe I was ever associated with an ugly wretch such as you!"

Clearing my throat of the hoarseness, I answered him.

"Ouch, you sure have a way with words, don't you? Well, I've heard worse. I don't blame you if you don't remember me. But let me just say three words." With a small smile, I stated them. "Jack the Ripper."

The reaction on his face was quite interesting to watch. First, there was confusion, realization, a hint of happiness at recalling the memories, and then intense fury once again. He jabbed his finger at me and shouted, "You're that wretch I failed to kill?! You're still alive?!"

I nodded nonchalantly. "Yes, I am, _ma'am_. I believe this is the second time you asked me that silly question."

"Argh! I'm gonna kill you and rip that nasty, little mouth of yours!" he threatened me, wielding his scissors.

"Then why didn't you before? You had me right in the palm of your hands. I could have been screaming in agony by now," I continued to taunt him with my hands clasped behind my back, my sights focused on the smoky night sky overhead.

Grell growled and dashed forward, thrusting his scythe at my face. I didn't move and allowed him to make a decent gash on my cheek. I flinched at the feel of the blade, cold droplets of blood seeping out. I shut my eyes, waiting for him to do more harm. But he didn't.

"Tch, it's not fun at all if the victim doesn't put up much of a fight! You're such a bore!" Grell exclaimed in aggravation, flipping his red hair over his shoulder.

The wound began to heal up and I dared to approach him.

"Now that I recall, I do believe that it was dear _Bassy_ who stopped me from finishing you off!" At the mention of him, an exaggerated gasp escaped him and the redhead whipped around, grasping my shoulders. A wide grin was on his face and his green eyes were glimmering in absolute joy. It was crazy how fast his mood had changed; it was almost hard to keep up with him.

"Have you seen my Bassy?! Please tell me you have! I've been far too deprived of that devilishly handsome butler! Ooh, there's so much I'd love to do with him…Kissing him with tongue for instance~! Ahh~!" Grell was falling absolutely lovesick thinking about the demon butler, and I honestly didn't want to know what kind of 'things' he wanted to do with 'Bassy', who, apparently, he believed was_ his_.

"Sebastian Michaelis, you mean? Oh yeah, I've definitely seen him around," I played along, putting on a grin of my own.

"Really?! Where, _where_?! You must tell me!" Grell practically shrieked, jumping in place like an excited school girl.

I laughed and, with his growing impatience, he frowned at my reaction. "To be honest, I actually don't know where he is at this very moment. I haven't seen him since yesterday. So sorry!" I stated, saluting him like a soldier.

Grell pushed me back with great force, causing me to stumble. "Forget you! You're useless!" Yet just as he was about to walk away, he faced me in the next second. "What did you mean when you say you saw him _yesterday_? What are you implying, wench?!"

I blinked a few times like an innocent child and then tilted my head. "What am I implying? I didn't mean to imply anything at all."

"Liar! Are you saying you see my Bassy _every day_? I refuse to believe _my _Bassy would dare associate with a hideous woman like _you_," he barked, his expression twisting into one of utter disgust.

I sighed, getting tired of his insults. Might as well tell the truth, I suppose. "All right, you caught me. I admit; I do get to see him more than you ever could. And you know something else, Mister-I mean_, Miss_ Sutcliff?"

The redheaded reaper was fuming and I imagined steam was coming out of his ears like the whistle of a train. "If things hadn't turned out the way they did, I would have gladly given him to you, I sincerely would…"

Grell was so ready to rip my head off, but it didn't matter. I just had to say it. "…but unfortunately, I like Sebastian far, far too much to ever let him go."

Hook, line, and sinker. He had lost his marbles, exploding in a rage that could possibly compete with the expansive flames engulfing London at that very moment. He stomped towards me, his long, bright red hair trailing behind him like fire. "Never mind, I take it all back. I don't care about the work load, for I have nothing to lose anyhow! Killing you once and for all will _surely_ be worth it!"

Oh my, he was dead serious now. Well, it was too bad, because I couldn't die. Not when I actually had something, or rather_ someone_, to live for.

I took steps backwards, but kept up the grin on my face, not daring to show a hint of intimidation. I quickly thought of something as a decent distraction, the obvious solution coming to mind.

"Must we resort to violence every time? Can't we be friends? I'm quite positive you and I would get along like two peas in a pod," I stated, nearly breaking my act due to the large amounts of sarcasm dripping off each word.

Of course, the reaper wouldn't calm down with that statement. He was backing me up against the wall again, and then that's when I saw something in the corner of my eye. Being as discreet as possible, I tried to identify what it was, guessing it was my feline friend.

It was now or nothing. I only had one chance before I was to be cut up into tiny pieces.

Putting up the most star-struck look on my face and clasping my hands together like a typical damsel in distress, I gasped in fake, but hopefully convincing, awe. "Oh, it's you! Sebastian, you've come to save me!" I declared, my eyes 'catching sight' of the butler 'supposedly' arriving behind him.

"Hah! You honestly think I'm going to fall for that one? Nice try, dearie~! Any other last words before I dispatch your worthless soul?" Grell spat, snapping his scissors with the blades shining in my eyes.

I mentally slapped myself, now regretting that I tried such a stupid idea. "Damn, I thought that was a good one. You're much wittier than I thought…I suppose you should just hurry and reap me then," I pretended to surrender, though I was readying my body to move as swiftly as possible to dodge his next strike. I didn't want to bother forming any other ridiculous distractions.

"If that's all you have to offer, than this dainty lady must commend you for going easy on her. Bye, bye~!" he spoke in third person and went to execute his fatal blow.

I clenched my fist, fully intending to speed off like lightning until an unexpected turn of events happened. Out of nowhere, something had latched itself onto the red reaper's head, and it took me a second to realize an adult-sized black cat had pounced on him. Using its sharp claws, it viciously scratched Grell's face without mercy.

"No! Not my face! Not my beautiful face! Get off me you vile beast!" Grell flailed about, trying to shake free from the feline but failing miserably. His struggles seemed to only make the black cat sink its claws into his face more deeply, causing the reaper to cry out in hysterical pain.

I couldn't move right away, but finding that the cat was helping me somehow, I used the pent up energy I had saved to make a successful run for it. Once the feline had seen I was dashing out of sight, it released itself from the reaper and also sped off in a blink of an eye before Grell could steady himself.

The redhead was alone, left to bite the dust. He let out the most frustrated cry, his voice echoing in the isolated quiet. Standing there with his face consisting of various scratches and punctures, the reaper had forgotten all about his work for the time being. The only thoughts swarming in his rage-filled mind were diabolical, murderous, and possessive. The demon butler was rightfully his; he could not and _would not_ stand for anyone else to have him. No other being was worthy of the demon's affections except for the redheaded reaper himself.

Stomping his heel to the ground, Grell shouted in the air, "I'll have your head soon, you dirty wretch! Enjoy the remainder of your petty life! Once you're dead, Bassy will always and_ only_ be mine and mine forev-AH!"

"Sutcliff, what nonsense are you spouting about? Stop dawdling like a fool or you'll earn even more overtime," his superior commanded of him, having stabbed the back of Grell's head with his pruner.

"W-William…such a spiteful man, you are~!" the redheaded reaper mumbled in distress, his face planted on the ground from the force of his attack. Blood spewed out from his head wound and along with the pain, William's presence was forcing him to return to the task at hand.

One last and vital fact occurred to him during this minor defeat, and it lingered, seeming to taunt him. He was going to absolutely _dread_ looking in the mirror, if he ever got the chance later on.

* * *

"Goodness…I barely made it…" I breathed, having found a relatively vacant area free of other potential reapers and humans. Surrounded by only the dead and burning flames, I slumped against a brick wall, not believing my actual luck at that point.

Lifting my head once I was settled, I spotted the black cat approaching me. "That was really something you did back there. Thank you," I spoke, placing a hand on my heaving chest. Watching him walk in my direction, the certain cat seemed so graceful and calm. His black fur looked perfect and sleek, compared to Cocoa's fluffier appearance. Speaking of the latter, the kitten was safely curled up against my side. He had caught sight of me and the mysterious cat, and was able to keep up with us during my escape.

Once the black cat was close, he all but leaped up onto my lap, his gaze fixated on mine. I narrowed my eyes at the feline's own pair, noticing that they were an interesting crimson color, reminding me a lot of…

No, that couldn't be it.

"You're quite the handsome fellow, aren't you?" I found myself whispering to him, raising a hand to rub his back.

A deep purr emitted from the black feline almost immediately and he curled up closer against my touch. His fur was just as soft as I had imagined and I found myself not being able to take my eyes off him. Once I withdrew my hand, the cat suddenly got on his hind legs, his two front paws pressed against my chest. While I stayed still, the cat rubbed his head against my neck, and then against my face. A smile broke out from me and it only grew wider when I felt the cat licking off the dried blood on my cheek.

It was utterly absurd, but I was blushing, and it was a mere _animal _that was causing my flustered state. Catching my eyes one last time, the black cat then turned, leaping away from me. He darted off into the distance, disappearing so fast, I hardly had the time to say or do anything.

Left alone with only the brown kitten on my side, who occupied the empty space on my lap, I pondered over the black cat's questionable actions.

The cat had saved me at the most opportune moment. There was no way it was coincidence. Secondly, the cat was far more affectionate to me, a supposed 'stranger' in his eyes. And lastly, those dark crimson eyes of his, that I tried to deny, were exactly like the demon's eyes. Yes, the demon butler that Grell had gone absolutely insane over. The man I was undoubtedly missing too quickly. I could try and convince myself that I lost my mind countless times. But I was sure, no, _very _certain that the mysterious feline was no ordinary stray.

Indeed, it was him, it _had _to be. That devil of a man enjoyed toying with my mind after all.

The demon butler, Sebastian, had protected me in the form of a sly and devious black cat.


	38. Lost

**Hey there, lovely readers. :)**

**Heads up-as far as this story is progressing, I stopped following the manga storyline when the circus arc ended, and now I also won't be following the anime storyline any more after this chapter. Don't get me wrong, the events of season two _will_ have happened, but I'm not going to review that season in this story. Certain elements from the ending of that season will play a part in how the rest of the plot goes. Pretty sure y'all know what that means. **

**Big thanks to _VampireSiren_, _Lady Athenangel_, _MrsGooglyBear_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _fencergal19_, _piplup225_, and _Knyttet _for the reviews on the last chapter! Your thoughts always mean a lot. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Dressed in a feminine, bright pink gown and matching bonnet over her blonde ringlets, she was alone, kneeling down on the fresh, green meadow covered with various patches of indigo flowers. In front of her resided a calm-flowing creek, something that contrasted quite vastly to what was happening in London, and what she'd hope would end soon. Watching the beautiful city, she called home, succumbing to the flames, as well as the dead, blackened bodies scattered about, it was far too much for her to bear and watch.

At the same time, she hated the fact of not being able to do anything in this time of crisis and having to stay on the sidelines. She knew she was stronger than this act of a fragile and innocent little girl. Innocent she may be, but fragile? The matter was debatable. As a daughter of a proud, noble family, however, it wasn't so easy to act as freely as she would have liked.

If she could at that moment, she would have chosen to always be at her fiancé's side, no matter what the reason. Sometimes, she would grow so worried over him to the point where it exhausted her. That certain day happened to be one of those days. Every time he went on a mission for the Queen, her grief would begin, exactly on the day he leaves.

Her delicate fingers grazed over the blue petals of the flowers surrounding her and she plucked a few out of the grass, her emerald green eyes trained on the royal color. Only one person entered her mind and stayed on her mind at that moment.

"My lady!"

Her brief trance was interrupted and she stood up to her feet, turning to see her maid, a young woman with long, brown hair scurrying towards her.

"Paula?" she acknowledged the woman's presence with question.

By the look on her dear friend's face, Elizabeth could tell that her maid brought good news. "They say that the fires in London have gone out. We can finally return home now, my lady!" she announced with joy, clasping her hands together in front of her.

A beginning of a smile started on the noble lady's face, until the thoughts that had lingered in her head came rushing back, and the small sign of happiness was dashed. She asked her maid, "What about Ciel? Have you heard anything about him?"

The excitement on Paula's face disappeared in an instant, well aware that her lady had been extremely troubled over him. Sadly, she answered, "Forgive me, my lady. There's nothing."

Elizabeth stayed quiet, the expression on her face showing clear disappointment and Paula felt obligated to cheer her up immediately. The maid scanned the serene area around them and her bright smile returned.

"Ah, such pretty flowers we have here, don't you agree?" Paula started, hoping to raise her lady's spirits.

Elizabeth nodded and gazed down at the bloom in her hand. "Yes…their color reminds me of Ciel, somewhat." She smiled a little; the longer she stared at the flower, the more it seemed as if she was looking right into his deep blue eyes. But more importantly, the indigo color reminded her much of the treasured heirloom Ciel had with him at all times, a ring she once had the discretion to destroy in front of him in a fit of petty anger.

Before she knew it, her thoughts about the flower and Ciel's ring were mentioned out loud, and a creative idea came to Paula's mind. In a matter of seconds, her maid had taken one of the blue flowers in her hand and weaved it into an imitation of her fiancé's ring.

"Here you are, my lady!" Paula presented her the make-shift accessory with a beam.

Finally, a true, wide smile spread on the noble lady's face and she reached out for it. Yet just as she did so, a strong gust of wind blew past them, taking the ring out of Paula's grasp in the meantime. The two of them watched as the flower ring landed gently in the creek, and a sudden silence befell over the ladies. For some odd reason, Elizabeth was still, her eyes glued to the lone ring floating in the water.

"Not to worry, we can make more rings! Look around us, my lady, there's an infinite number of flowers we could use," Paula cut into Elizabeth's thoughts once again, still keeping up her optimism.

A warm hand rested on the noble lady's shoulder and she turned to see her maid's kind smile.

"We can make as many as you'd like."

"Thank you, Paula…"

Elizabeth watched as the soft current began moving the old ring further out of her sight, disappearing elsewhere to a place she would never know of.

…

At last, it was over. His life was nearing its end.

Neither happiness nor sadness rose inside him. All he felt was numbness, almost nothing. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought he had made it to the afterlife. But he knew that was not where his destiny was headed. His soul was about to be swallowed by the hands of the demon behind him. In a way, he already felt like he was dead, and watching his Cinematic Record playing in the strange waters below him seemed to prove that very fact.

He had no idea of where he was, having gained consciousness moments ago to find he was in a boat, floating in the middle of an eerie, yet calming nowhere. But he no longer cared to know. He was all but ready to meet his final destination.

Catching sight of his fiancé shedding tears in his ongoing Record, the first bit of emotion settled on him. Heaviness resided in his chest, and although he had often hid how he truly felt, he found himself contemplating the thought of sparing one last moment with her, yet knowing it'd just make things harder for her to let go. There was no easier way for her to accept that he'd be gone, whether he saw her again or not. In the end, she'd be alone and hurt. Perhaps that was one thing he may have regretted leaving behind.

"Knowing Elizabeth, she will be quite unhappy…" he muttered in a solemn tone.

"Yes. Her love for you runs very deep," his butler replied smoothly as he continued to row the long boat with his remaining arm.

Ciel scoffed lightly. He could only imagine how much she'd cry, remembering how much of a sobbing mess she was at Madam Red's funeral. His gaze stayed on the moving pictures of his life, and in the next second, the infamous trio came into view.

"And what of the servants, are they dead?"

Sebastian paused for a moment before answering his question. "Well, they were still breathing the last time I saw them."

"I see. I have to admit, those three are quite the stubborn bunch. And Pluto?" Ciel continued, now watching the recap of the demon hound setting the city to flames.

"I shall collect his bones later."

Choosing silence after that last reply, Ciel turned his attention forward, watching the fog around them dissipate and give way to a plethora of tiny, blue lights to scatter. Much like fireflies, the Earl wondered what they were, to which his loyal butler answered, saying they represented the warm regards of those who had entered through his life. Ciel watched them closely, observing their movements and finding that some appeared to be dancing, as if they contained joyous thoughts. A final sense of peace overcame him, and he felt better about leaving behind those who cared for him.

As the boat continued to sail for what seemed like an eternity, Ciel's gaze wandered back to the waters, and what caught his eye this time was a single blue flower. His hand reached over to collect the lone bloom, examining it and finding that its stem was fashioned into a ring. Sebastian took notice of what his master was holding and kneeled down to his level.

"Allow me, my lord," Sebastian insisted and took the flower out of his grasp, intending to fix the loose ends of the make-shift ring. Ciel realized it was a minor struggle for the butler to do so with only one hand, as his left had been severed and lost in the concluding battle against the angel, the culprit who had been behind the bloody turmoil of the Earl's family and pride.

"It's all right, Sebastian," Ciel replied and retrieved the flower ring, slipping it onto his thumb like he would with his real one.

The demon butler frowned a bit at his moment of slight incompetence and pressed his hand to his chest. "Forgive me, master. I had only wanted to be the most superb butler. It would seem I have failed."

Ciel sighed. "There is no need for you to say such things. It doesn't matter now."

Stroking the damp petals of the flower, the remnants of his life ran through his mind. Thoughts of his parents, those who died, his duty as both the Phantomhive Earl and the Queen's Watchdog, Elizabeth, the servants, and…

Among the last few people he thought of, there was one he had almost forgotten. One he knew must have meant a great deal to the demon in front of him, or so it would seem. It was hard to figure out what his butler was thinking, even to that day. But still…

"Take care of her," the young Earl spoke suddenly, taking the butler off guard by the random statement. Ciel held back the smirk that was tempted to arise at seeing Sebastian's look of surprise.

With an eyebrow raised in confusion, the butler asked, "To whom are you referring to, master?"

"There is only one other person who will surely be left standing among the rest of them. She's waiting for you, is she not?" the Earl stated without looking up at him.

Sebastian smirked, realizing who his master was talking about. It was strange to hear those particular words coming out of his lord's mouth. Now that she was on his mind, he recalled how he had visited her one last time before he had returned to Ciel's side and proceeded to finish things once and for all.

_She must have known_, s_urely..._

"How interesting, my lord. You say that as if you believe I actually care for her. So, it seems that is what you gather between us…" the butler opted to tease him first, the smug smile widening on his lips.

Ciel narrowed his eyes at him, though his glare was not as piercing as it usually would be. "Don't try and lie to me, Sebastian. I can't be fooled, and I had no intention of joking around."

The demon chuckled. "Of course not, my apologies. But I'm rather curious of what caused you to bring her up at this time."

Ciel furrowed his brows a bit, fiddling with his make-shift ring. "She was just another one of my pawns, just as they all were. There was nothing special, save for the fact that she wasn't human either. But like the rest, I wonder what she will do…"

The Earl began recalling the time he decided to take the stray vampire into his estate after having seen her mangled and bloodied during the Jack the Ripper incident. Once he was gone, she would be free, if she so chose. Somehow, he doubted she would stay at the mansion. Compared to the rest of the staff, she was a drifter. He had seen it in her eyes during the brief lessons he could afford with her amongst his accumulating work. There was still emptiness in her distant gaze, and soon, she would want to leave to find the missing piece.

"Never mind what I said then. It doesn't matter. None of them matter anymore," Ciel brushed his thoughts away.

Sebastian stood back up, taking the oar in his hand and resumed rowing the boat. "If it weren't for the fact that our contract is coming to an end, and had that been an order…"

"It was not an order. I merely wanted to see how you would respond, and to clarify," Ciel cut in quickly.

"Clarify what, exactly?" Sebastian continued to toy with him.

"Just be silent, Sebastian. Now that_ is_ an order," the Earl commanded of him, not sparing his butler a glance.

The demon chuckled lightly and then directed his attention up ahead. No matter the circumstance, it never ceased to amuse him whenever he was poking fun at his master.

But there was one truth he would rather not admit to his lord as easily. Order or not, the results would be the same.

Wherever she was and wherever she'd be, he would find a way to be at her side and watch over her. If not, then his promise to her beforehand would remain true.

_Wait for me, my dear. I shall be there soon._

* * *

I took in a deep breath, smelling the fresh scent of the ocean breeze passing through. Opening my eyes, the people gathering onto the streets of London held distress over the losses, but most of all, there was a sense of relief among the citizens as the fires had finally died down in time to greet a new day. Along with the rising sun, people's spirits had begun to rise as well, and many aimed to start out fresh and strong, especially after an inspiring speech from the Queen earlier in the day.

The night of the fires had definitely been rough, but I managed to keep my distance from the grim reapers that had been on duty all that time-vanquishing the smoky, black substances emanating off corpses. Along with that, the fires had ceased not too soon during the night and had not started up since then, telling me that the Phantomhive servants had succeeded in putting Pluto to eternal rest. I hadn't seen them, nor did I choose to find them.

What stayed on my mind the most though, was the sudden powerful aura that had covered a great distance over the burning city. It had been terribly strong and froze me in my tracks the moment it struck. I remembered how it sent numbing chills throughout my entire body. Even at this moment, I could still feel that immense energy lingering underneath my skin.

The aura was one I knew all too well and once it had vanished into thin air, as if it hadn't interrupted the earth, I was smiling. Imagine how odd it seemed, an insane woman like me standing in the middle of a scorched city with a grin on her face. I couldn't help myself though, because I knew.

It was him. Whatever he was doing, and for what reason, there was no doubt in my mind that he had succeeded.

When he would return, I didn't know. At the same time, I wondered about Ciel, wondering if I was going to ever see him again. It had been a while since we last spoke; I don't believe we even exchanged farewells. Perhaps I should have gone to find the servants, despite the fact that my mind was telling me to stay put and remain alone.

Maybe this was it. Maybe the burning of London was another sign for something else. Where to now? Would I return back to the manor like nothing happened?

_This is your chance. _

A chance for what?

My eyes guided me to the answer, my gaze focused towards the distance, specifically on the ocean. The mellow waves seemed to be taunting me, along with the large ship that was waiting near the dock.

I shook my head. This wasn't right. I was happy here in London…and there was someone I was waiting for after all.

Yet the longer my gaze stayed on the scattered amounts of people lining up in front of the ship, second thoughts began rearing its ugly head.

All my life, it seemed I was always waiting for someone, waiting for him to come back like he said he would. Wasn't I…getting tired of all this? He promised he would, though, he promised…and I believed him.

Those assuring thoughts of mine didn't stop me from approaching the crowd of people at the docks, however, my legs tended to have a mind of their own. Soon enough, I was off to the side and close enough to better observe the different types of people boarding the ship. Human after human, sensing the steady pulse of those passing by made my fangs ache for flesh. I allowed my tongue to graze over my teeth, cutting the wet muscle and tasting my own blood. A soft exhale slipped through my lips.

Pieces of conversation caught my attention here and there, and upon hearing a familiar soft meow, I glanced down to see Cocoa appearing back by my side, his fur rubbing against my ankle. I smiled a little and got down to my knees, petting him like normal. His round eyes closed as my hand brushed over his head.

He was a stray cat when I found him, and somehow, I felt like I could relate to this small animal. Like him, I was also someone who had no permanent home, only finding temporary refuge until the day we would move on once more. Proving my point, Cocoa disappeared into the crowd once I withdrew my hand from his body and this time, I didn't think I was going to see him again. Perhaps that had been his discreet way of bidding me farewell.

Lifting my head up at the sky, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to shine a bit too harshly. Shielding my head with my arm in discomfort, I began moving elsewhere to a shadier spot, finding that the overhang of the nearby shops would do.

Through the relative murmur of the citizens' voices, there was a certain panting noise that stood out to me the most while I made my way out of the sun's horrid rays. I stopped walking when I realized the particular sound was getting closer, and heading towards my direction. My brows furrowed and I looked to the left and then the right, finally spotting a man rushing at me. On instinct, alarm took over me and I prepared myself to evade him if he tried anything suspicious.

The man stopped when he was a few feet away from me and bent over his knees, his breathing ragged and irregular. He paused and soon enough, I was hearing him wheezing, trying to get oxygen into his lungs. Running too hard like that must have worsened his condition, which according to his cough, didn't sound too good. Upon close inspection, I identified the man to be in his late forties to early fifties.

Further scanning this stranger's appearance, my blood began to run colder. The man's ruffled hair was dark red and when he finally collected himself to look up at me, I froze. His eyes pierced right though mine and my brain was utterly dead at that point. Nothing was coming to mind and I couldn't hear what he was whispering to himself before the man suddenly stepped forward and grabbed me tightly into his arms without falter.

His large and muscled body enveloped my form, and at that moment, I felt a lot smaller than I was. I was a little girl again, lost but now found. The familiar warmth from his body surged through my skin, along with the smell of firewood off his clothes and the roughness of his trim beard against my cheek. This had to be a dream. I still couldn't move. Yet only one word entered my mind. One word that I didn't think would cross my mind for the longest time.

Out of nowhere, I felt his body begin to sag and soon, I was struggling to support his whole weight on me. He had collapsed in my arms and I couldn't see his face as it hung down near my side. My ear pressed against his shoulder and to my relief, I could still hear his pulse and feel his heartbeat, though it was a tad too slow.

I was far too shaken at seeing him, but I knew I couldn't just stand around with an unconscious man in my grasp. Finally able to function correctly, I tried to shift him into a more comfortable position.

"Mr. Veron! What the devil do you think you're doing?!" A sharp and stern voice called from the maze of people.

Looking up from his body, I noticed a tall woman making her way towards us, her face written with both panic and anger. By her appearance, she looked rather proper and pristine, with her dark hair done into a tight bun and her equally dark dress neat and spotless.

She marched over to us and gave me a look of sympathy, her forehead creasing with her worry. "Forgive me, young lady," she began, speaking with a light French accent. "This is all my fault. I was careless and lost him in the crowd-"

"Who are you?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. My voice held no emotion and my hands were clutching onto the older man in my arms like my life depended on it. My protective instincts were kicking in and I didn't bother holding it back.

The woman narrowed her silver eyes at me and shot back, "I beg your pardon? Who are _you_? If you'll excuse me, I must take him-"

"I won't give him to you unless you answer me," I interrupted her again, my expression serious and unyielding. Her glare at me hardened and she sighed, brushing off her sleeves before answering my question.

"If you must know, whoever you are, I am the daughter of his doctor. I don't think I need to tell a complete stranger my nam-"

Doctor? I looked back down to the man in my arms, making sure he was still breathing and his heart beating. If he was seriously ill, then why would he leave home in his weak condition?

"I'm sorry but I have to ask. Why have you brought him all the way to London?" I continued to question. The woman's eyes widened at me, a mad woman, but I didn't care. I needed answers.

"I-I don't…Wh-why do you ask? Do you know this man? Anyway, that is none of your business! Excuse me, but I don't have time to waste on you!" she snapped, keeping up her stubborn attitude.

"I said I won't give him to you unless you answer my question!" I shouted, stepping away from her prying arms.

The woman's mouth opened and dropped like a fish before a frustrated growl escaped her. "You are absolutely insane! Hand him over to me right now or else I'll alert the authorities!"

The middle-aged man coughed loudly once again and both of us turned our immediate attention to him as he began stirring in my arms. Lifting his head once more, his calloused hands rested on my shoulders and his warm eyes met mine again. Happy tears were welling in his eyes and that old smile I once knew stretched on his face. His age showed through the crow's feet and other such wrinkles outlining his features. Joy was all I felt at seeing that he was still the same to me, despite how much time had passed, and a smile of my own appeared. The women was left flabbergasted when she saw him embrace me a little longer before pulling away and turning around, although he still needed my aid in standing.

"Please calm down. It's all right. It was bad of me to run off like that, but when I saw her, I just…" He stopped and doubled over, groaning as dizziness took over him. I placed my hand on his chest; my other arm wound around his back and secured him upright.

The woman grasped her forehead and then her fingers rubbed her temple. "Mr. Veron, I am very confused. May I ask that you explain to me why exactly you ran off and-"

"I know her…I found her at last…" he whispered absentmindedly, his smile not disappearing.

The woman only looked more perplexed. "Pardon? You know her? But how?"

He waved her rapid questions away, his eyes shut as he trudged forward with me as his walking stick. "Never mind that now. The ship is about to leave. We've got my medicine right?"

His escort's hard expression softened considerably at seeing him trying to move and she nodded. Catching my eye, her glare returned and she approached him, taking his left side. "I'll take it from here, miss. Again, I apologize for the trouble."

The man's grip on me tightened and he gave a stifled cough before turning to her with such seriousness, it startled her. "Did you not hear what I just said?"

The woman jumped at his tone of voice. For a brief moment, he sounded like his normal, headstrong self, whenever something wasn't going his way. "Mr. Veron, you are not necessarily in the right state of mind-"

"She's coming with me and that is final. Besides, do you see her trying to get away from me? She knows me too," he stated with as much strength as he could muster.

My pulse rose when I heard what he was saying. Now that he found me, he wanted me with him. I knew this might happen if we ever crossed paths, but I never imagined we'd see each other at such a time like this. Things were happening so fast. It was bizarre and I kept thinking it was a dream.

I couldn't just drop everything and go.

_Don't be silly. You have nothing left to lose anyway. _

But what about…

Before I knew it, I was following him towards the ship, waiting in that line and helping him get settled on board. I heard nothing but my own fighting thoughts, yet I always felt his rough hand gripping mine for dear life, the only reminder telling me that this was not a dream. It was real.

"Don't go…" I would hear him whisper every time he felt my hand loosen on him.

…I couldn't leave him.

My hand clenched his in return.

Once the ship set off to sail, I watched the docks grow smaller and smaller, and soon, the city of London itself was shrinking in my sights. Only then did he let me go and he drifted off to unconsciousness like before.

To think his health had suffered all those years I was gone, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the situation. It pained me to see him so withered, pale, and lifeless. There was no way I could just abandon him in this state. Fate led us to meet and find each other; it wasn't just mere coincidence.

_Yet fate played at such a cruel time…making me choose…_

I gripped onto the railing of the ship, my eyes not breaking away from the distance. My gaze was unblinking, the swift breeze whipping my cheeks and tossing my hair in disarray.

"Will you tell me something?" The woman came up behind me, her arms crossed in impatience. "How does he know you?"

Without looking back at her, my voice was low, but she was still able to hear every word as I answered.

"He's my father."

* * *

_"Be as brutal as you want. Etch the pain into me. It will prove I had a life worth living."_

That was the young Earl's final command and as usual, the demon would accomplish his last duty as the Phantomhive butler.

He removed the white glove from his single hand, letting it fall to the ground as he stepped forward and leaned over his master's seated form. Their surroundings were desolate and quiet like a graveyard-a fitting area for the Earl's resting place. They were in the middle of ruins, whatever was left of a decrepit, abandoned building.

The boy's stare concentrated on the butler's every move, remaining as still as the stone bench he sat upon. The demon's bare hand gently brushed over his face, his long fingers slipping under his eye patch and removing it from view.

The Earl's blue eyes quivered in the slightest, despite his calm outlook. The demon drew near, his hand holding his master's chin. To the noble, every movement appeared slow. The closer the demon came, the darker everything seemed to become.

He then closed his eyes and welcomed the true darkness that swallowed him whole.

…

The demon's eyes dimmed in an instant as a sudden toll of a bell echoed through the deafening silence. A nearby crow that had witnessed the scene from the beginning flew away once the sound struck. The fiery irises faded back to bloody crimson and a rare expression of disbelief erupted on the demon's face. He withdrew his hand from his master, the boy's head limping over. Not a hint of life was left in him, but it was not because of his doing.

"…What…is this?"

He stood to his feet, taking a few steps back. Turning away from his master, he dropped to his knees. A range of rampant emotions flooded his mind, causing him to be at an utter loss towards the current circumstance.

"Impossible…my lord is empty…"

There was a pause and then the strongest of the battling emotions was clear. A most grim, dark, and malicious smile crept onto his lips and he let loose his blinding rage.

The stone ground beneath him fell to his wrath, cracking along with the rest of the ruins, further destroying the dilapidated area. At first it was like an earthquake, until his dangerous power grew fiercer and emitted an explosion, obliterating nearly everything around him.

Through the haze of debris and the pitch black aura surrounding his form, the master was in his grasp once more. With each step the demon took, more of his anger and malice seeped out of his being, wreaking havoc to anything that dared cross him.

Someone, some other _vile _monster had stolen the only thing that had mattered to him. He would hunt down the culprit, no matter how long it'd take; he would crush the pest and take back what was rightfully his.

It wasn't over. Not just yet.

* * *

Time. Only time would tell.

As immortals, time was meaningless, endless, an eternity.

With each passing year, it was but an instant, nothing, simply nothing. That was how it was supposed to be.

To him, that was the case.

To me, it was the opposite.

Time taunted me, threatening to confirm my worst fears and nullify my strength to hold on.

Yet despite that, I didn't dare fall and lose myself. Because there was one thing I truly believed in, and it kept me going. It gave me the will to keep putting one foot forward, no matter how heavy each step seemed.

Someday, somehow…I'd see him soon.


	39. Vicious Love

**Super thanks to _KHRLover1997_, _VampireSiren_, _fencergal19_, _Tsukino Aisuru-A_, _pinkyndx_, _Knyttet_, and _MrsGooglyBear_ for reviewing last time. Glad you all are still engaging with this story. Yessh. *drowns in joy***

**Things get pretty _steamy_ in the second half of this chapter…if you know what I mean. Hee, hee. Okay, I'm out.**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.**

* * *

Pain.

Absolute agony.

That was what consumed his otherwise hollow mind and body throughout each meaningless day, dragging on and on at a monotone pace.

Forever.

An eternity.

How he grew to despise those cursed words. It made his blood boil hotter than any angry fire, his unsatisfied hunger continued to roar louder than the most vicious of beasts.

From then on, he was chained like a heinous dog, restricted as a slave. There would be no end and gradually, he began to feel the effects of starvation. There was no need in wasting effort towards fury or frustration or even dread. He remained emotionless, unfeeling, a blank expression remained on his face. The usual spark rarely showed.

The only time it did, however, seemed to last for only a mere moment and grew weaker with each passing hour. Brief images. Illusions. Maybe even delirium. Either way, she managed to crawl back into the dark crevices of his heart, the remnants of her intoxicating the intricate branches of his veins.

He already lost what he had wanted the most. Letting it happen a second time was nowhere near an option for him.

His gloved hand clenched against the tree by his side, his blank gaze focused on the grand city where his master once lived for all those years. But after the twisted turn of events, the boy's life spent as such a proud figure could no longer run its normal course. Like him, his permanent master was soulless, blackened, a fellow fiend of Hell.

The famished demon could just smell it, even though he was several miles away from the center of civilization. The mouthwatering smell of a thousand human souls, each different, each with its own unique flavor; they were scattered in various locations and none of them failed to catch his upmost attention. In fact, he found he couldn't quite distract himself from the free souls wandering about.

No, he would not dare fall prey to his old habits. Such ways were amateur and brazen. He may have lost a decent meal, but he still had his pride. Patience was a virtue, indeed, and he had most definitely waited long enough.

He withdrew his fist from the tree, quickly returning to his senses and catching on to his master's firm voice behind him.

"Sebastian!"

The demon retained his perfect, stoic composure and turned to face his master, who approached him with displeasure clear in his expression.

"I called you several times beforehand, Sebastian. What is the matter with you?" Ciel demanded, his blue eye glinting red.

The demon's eyes narrowed further at his master's words. He almost wanted to laugh bitterly at the question. There were many possible answers, yet instead, the butler chose to brush them aside and take a more casual approach. "I apologize for my negligence, my lord."

His master glared at him with suspicion. "No. You haven't been acting like yourself for the longest time." He crossed his arms, walking past his butler to stare off at his old home from the distant hilltop they stood upon. "Just what exactly is on your mind, Sebastian. I order you to tell me this instant."

The Young Master was met with more silence, and he turned back around in impatience, about to repeat himself when his butler finally spoke up.

"I was…merely thinking about her," Sebastian replied, almost hesitantly.

With no clear emotion on his face, he examined his master's reaction and saw that the boy was momentarily confused.

"…Her?" Ciel began, taking a moment to recall who his butler was referring to. His memories had been badly tampered with during the time his soul was stolen. Though now that the issue was fixed, it had been a while since _she_ was last spoken of. In fact, they barely spoke of her at all. It had been as if she was never part of their lives.

"She's gone, Sebastian. Long gone," Ciel stated bluntly without a care.

Once again, his butler remained quiet, his eyes diverted elsewhere. The lord was growing quite fed up with his secluded behavior. He_ had_ been a bit glad that the usual teases and biting comments from his butler had ceased, but with the days that went by, the demon became less and less responsive and slower to heed his commands. His lagging actions were highly unacceptable and needed to be fixed.

Ciel scowled, his irises bleeding to crimson again. "Why is that woman important? She must be, if you insist that she's the one distracting you from your duties." The young Lord then stepped closer with his arms still crossed, hoping to intimidate the older demon. "Tell me, Sebastian. There's something that you want. Why don't you get it off your chest? There's no need to hold back," the boy taunted him. A small smirk was on his face as he waited to hear what his butler had to say.

Sebastian continued to hide his slight annoyance towards his master's mocking tone. Abiding by his vow not to lie, he answered, "I suppose there is just one thing that I desire, nothing more."

"And that is?"

The demon turned, his sights now focused on his master.

"To see her again."

* * *

It was mid-July, year 1890. Standing outside of the small, old house of the past, the atmosphere was nearly the same. It was peaceful, quiet, and even though, at times, the harsher memories would come rushing back, it didn't deter me.

My mother was a different matter.

I could tell she was trying to make an effort, but even if I was staying with them, she still held a grudge. I was her daughter, yet it didn't change the fact that I had abandoned them for an irrational fantasy. I left her alone with my father, who could have died if she wasn't stronger. If _he_ wasn't stronger.

She quickly avoided my gaze when I caught her watching me through the window. I had smiled, but only half of one appeared on her weathered face, and then she was leaving my sights. A dejected sigh escaped me before I turned away and concentrated on getting rid of the weeds in the front yard. It didn't take me too long to finish the task, and soon enough, I moved on to the next. Taking hold of the watering can I had filled up beforehand, I began replenishing some of the various wild flowers my mother had planted along the house.

The blazing sun was beating down on the earth and a bothersome sting began irritating my sensitive skin. The heat wave wasn't about to let up any time soon. The streams of water coming out of the nozzle was tempting me and I gave in, allowing my dirt-covered fingers to soak under the refreshing liquid, along with my tingling arms.

An excited yell broke the relative silence and I stopped in my task, eyes narrowed over the picket fence surrounding the home. To my discomfort, some of the neighborhood boys and girls around my age were gathering out on the streets, shouting and laughing in a rather enthusiastic manner. I didn't bother trying to listen in on what they were saying. Instead, I acted like I didn't notice and quickly set to work watering the rest of the plants, hoping they wouldn't notice me.

Hearing most of them heading farther away from my parent's house, I almost felt relieved. That is, until one of them hollered at me.

"Janelle!"

I flinched slightly at the mention of my name. In the corner of my eye, I noticed the rest of the group was already gone, but one in particular, a youthful man with sandy blond hair and lightly tanned skin started approaching me. I didn't dare look up to see him, and noticing that the watering can was empty, I made my way back towards the front door like normal.

"Janelle, wait!"

My hand clenched over the door knob and I forced myself to spare him a glance. He grinned at me with that dazzling smile of his and waved like an innocent school boy. Half of his body was practically leaning over the fence. "Hey, Janey, how's your father?"

I fought the urge to cringe at the nickname he gave me, but put on a genuine smile at the mention of dad. "He's doing a lot better these days."

He kept his smile up, nodding at the good news. "I'm glad to hear it. So…" His expression turned into one that held a hint of playfulness. "How have you been doing?"

I turned the knob in my hands and gave a small shrug. "Fine," I replied plainly and then went inside the house without another word. Clinging on to the fence, the young man was left frowning.

Upon entering the kitchen, my eyes met the pale blue of my mother's and she diverted her gaze again, finishing up what looked like meal preparations. I narrowed my eyes when I saw her wrapping up the bread and cheese in cloth and then stuffing them into a patched up sack.

"Mama…are you going somewhere?" I asked in a quiet tone, hoping she'd answer me.

She glanced over her shoulder at me and nodded. "Your father and I are going to be out of town for the day. We'll be back first thing tomorrow."

A hint of worry came to me at hearing her reply. "You don't have any lessons to teach today? And what about dad?"

This time, she remained silent, choosing to ignore me like she usually would. I stayed for a moment despite her silence, watching her. Although she may have looked weary on the outside, she still had quite a bit of energy to spare. Her pale, lavender hair, bundled up in a loose bun, looked almost white and maintained a soft, delicate appearance, like a dandelion in its late stage.

I held back another sigh and exited the kitchen, heading to where my father was. Without me knowing and just before I was completely out of sight, mother paused in her work and turned around again, a tinge of warmth entering her glazed eyes.

Father was at the couch like he usually would be at noon time, reading the newspaper with a glass of melted ice water at his side. I plopped myself right beside him and he jolted a bit before noticing it was me. A kind smile immediately erupted on his face, but before he could say anything, I beat him to it.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be resting?" I asked him, pulling my knees up close to my chest.

He stared at me for a bit before shaking his head with a chuckle. "No, I feel fine, Janelle. It's all thanks to you and your mother that I was able to heal faster than I would have…"

"You're not tired at all?" I pressed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His smile grew and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, bringing me into his broad chest. "Don't worry your little head, hon. I haven't felt weak at all for the past few months."

I let out a deep exhale and gave in, resting my head against him. He set aside his newspaper and rubbed my back with his strong hand, the same tinge of sadness eminent on his face whenever he felt how strangely cold I seemed to be every time he held me close. I remember he used to ask me if I was sick, but I kept telling him 'It was nothing' or 'that's just the way I am', which was true. After all this time, I still couldn't admit to him my one horrid secret. It was the only thing that kept me from fixing my once estranged relationship with my parents. I was glad he didn't go too far into it, but I could tell by the look on his face that perhaps he knew it was something much darker, something that maybe he didn't want to know. Maybe it would always remain a secret.

I tried pulling away from his grasp, hoping that he wouldn't bring those questions up, but he refused to let me go. I bit my lip when I heard him begin to speak, but what he said wasn't what I expected, to my utter relief.

"I see Troy was trying to speak with you again," Father teased me, and I looked up to see that twinkle in his eye.

I scoffed and got up into a sitting position when he loosened his hold on me. I turned to him with a sly smile. "Were you spying on me?"

"I wouldn't call it spying when a father is merely watching over his daughter. But it was your mother who saw and told me about it," he replied, reaching for his glass. Taking a sip, he raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't seem to like him that much."

"That's because I don't," I stated nonchalantly, fiddling with the ends of my wavy hair.

The older man let out what sounded like a snicker and I furrowed my eyebrows as he downed his water. Letting out a sigh of content, his lips formed a thin line. "Funny, I remember you used to go mad over boys like that."

"Again,_ daddy, _that was because I was a foolish teenager. I'm not like that anymore," I insisted, glaring at the locks of hair wrapped around my index finger.

He chuckled and ruffled the top of my head. "Come on, hon, he's not that bad. He's actually quite the fellow. A good, decent man."

I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, is that so? How long did it take you to come to that conclusion?"

With that remark, he messed up my hair further and then pulled me in close again. "It was only a few days after I hired him at the shop. Give your old man some slack, Janelle."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I'm being serious here. Without Troy's help, the shop would have been forced to close for good." A proud smile stretched across his face. "He's a fine carpenter; I can already tell through his hard work in training."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and sat up straight again. "Daddy, you act as if he's your son."

The expression on my father's face turned solemn. "He might as well have been. He proved to be good company throughout those years…"

A pang of guilt shot through me and I couldn't find anything good to say after that. Realizing the change in mood, father kept talking in order to eliminate the dark thoughts his words had spawned. "Troy wouldn't hurt you, Janelle. You shouldn't isolate yourself so much. Give him a chance."

I said nothing as he gave me a comforting pat on the head and looked behind us to see his wife waiting for him, her sack slung over her arm.

Setting his hands on his knees, he got to his feet. "Well, time for me to get ready. I'll be right back, sweetheart," he announced to his wife before making his way up the stairs.

Still sitting on the couch in the awkward silence, I went to reach for the newspaper until my mother intervened and took the empty space next to me. Locking gazes with her, I saw that there was an actual smile on her face, directed at me. I reflected her expression and in the next second, felt her soft touch, her fingers gently clasping over my hand.

Little actions like these without many words exchanged between us, it was physically different from the times I spent with my father. Besides that, it was the same, because she never stopped caring, and neither did I.

* * *

"You have one week, Sebastian. One week. After that, we'll be leaving this place."

Those were the words that repeated in his head during his speedy travel from the desolate outskirts of London all the way to France, where he knew his mate had resided ever since. As expected, the young Lord had been rather stubborn and hesitant about letting his prestigious servant leave his side, even if it was temporary. What made the noble eventually agree was an abrupt glimpse of his butler's old self, a most annoying glimpse at that.

"Goodness, master, is it so difficult for you to look after yourself for an entire week? Must I baby you every step of the way?" Sebastian had teased him, his trademark smirk appearing on his face after the longest time.

Ciel had looked stunned,almost claiming the old Sebastian as the 'imposter' to the more silent and glum demon butler he had been for the past year. Though, once the words his servant spoke had sunk in, surprise turned to anger at having his pride taken down a peg. He'd show him, the noble thought. The young Lord was not nearly as weak as his butler implied.

"Do not belittle me, Sebastian. You know better than to question your master like that. To make a point, however, I am very much able to survive a week without you constantly at my side," Ciel barked, his visible eye glaring daggers through the older demon's skull.

"Are you positive, master? If you wish, I shall return to you once a day, if that will make you more comfortable," Sebastian had suggested, his sly smile fading as he returned to his normal composure.

The Earl had not taken kindly to his words, however, only growing more irritated. "_No_, Sebastian. If I need you, I will summon you. For now, just go."

The butler gave a polite smile and bowed, placing a hand over his chest. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel merely sneered at him, irises glowing red. "You are lucky that I am granting you the liberty to see your so-called 'mate'. You had better make the most of it, Sebastian. You may not see her again, after all."

The demon had expected as much, but hearing it being said out loud carried a heavier weight that lingered in his chest. It had been hard for him to accept the fact that he would never be able to consume his master's soul, and now the one chance he was given to see her would most definitely be the last. If he were anyone else, he would have been grateful. Yet that was not the case for him. Instead, things had just been made harder, specifically in due time when he'd have to forget.

Although starved, he still maintained an adequate amount of power and energy. Landing in her home country without the use of human transportation had not been a problem for him. The only obstacle he faced now was to find where she was exactly. He knew it'd only take a couple hours at best, but as he scoured the vast country, concentrating on detecting her presence, his impatience grew, along with the anticipation.

Day turned to night in an instant, but by that time, the adept demon had been able to narrow her whereabouts down to a quiet town fairly distant from the busier cities, just as she had once told him. He could almost feel her presence then, and the further he advanced, the closer he was to finding her.

The amount of humans wandering the streets dwindled considerably, and he had to assume it was well into the late hours, perhaps midnight or so. His crimson eyes bled through the eerie night and he was sure that anyone crossing his path would think otherwise. He certainly wouldn't hesitate in killing anyone, especially in the dark. It'd prove as an excellent stress reliever and on his own free will as well. The last time he took someone's life was for his master after teaching him the basics in attaining a human soul, and then serving the lord his first demonic meal. The butler hadn't gotten away with hearing his master's complaints on the taste, but nevertheless, it satisfied the younger demon, for the past year at least.

Walking onwards for what seemed like forever, sounds of sobbing was detected up ahead of him. Curious of the source, he wasted no time and raced forward to what he identified as a young woman. He realized it wasn't _her, _but the girl's fear and despair naturally attracted him like the predator he was.

The butler soon found himself in the dingier side of town, where no woman or child should dare enter unless they were asking for trouble. He passed through without a care except to follow where he had heard the cries. Her voice drew nearer and at last, he saw her small figure propped up against a stained brick wall. The girl sat with her face hidden from view in her hands. Her bruised knees were pulled up close against her chest and her clothes looked half-ripped, telling him what had almost occurred. Almost, because in front of her was the man who had attacked her, lying dead on the cold ground with his eyes and mouth wide open in frozen terror.

The girl was too caught up with her crying; she hadn't noticed Sebastian's presence at all. While she continued muttering incoherent words and drowning in hysterical tears, the demon used the opportunity to examine how the man had died. From the looks of it, the man had gained a few broken bones here and there, but the fatal blow that took his life resided in his neck. A pool of blood had gathered under his face, spewing out from his throat. The demon's gloved hand reached out to pull aside the collar of the man's drenched shirt, and his eyes widened slightly at the unmistakable sight of ghastly puncture wounds.

Spotting them, he knew what had caused the apparent injury. It was a bite wound, and he had examined enough to know that this particular wound could only be done by one specific being. A burst of excitement filled him at this whim of a discovery, a wide smirk stretching his lips.

_I have you now._

Finishing up his inspection, he then approached the girl, who still had her hands glued to her face as if she never wanted to see the world again. Towering above her form, his tone held amusement when he spoke. "My, my, are you simply going to mope here for the rest of your life?

The girl shrieked at the sound of his deep voice and the demon's lips curled when he finally caught sight of her tear-streaked expression. Her glassy, brown eyes widened and upon seeing his alluring face, accentuated by the faint moonlight shining down on them, she felt her own burn in embarrassment. She gulped back her emotions and stammered, "Wh-who are you? St-stay away from me!"

His close-eyed smile came into effect and he kneeled down to her level. Examining the demon's appearance up close, the girl became strangely mesmerized. He kept his eyes trained on her and with that smug smile of his, he voiced his request. "All I ask is that you tell me what you just saw here. I will not lay a single finger on you." The butler placed a hand over his heart.

She narrowed her intent gaze in suspicion, and realizing she refused to speak up, Sebastian decided to cue her. "From what I gather off the corpse, allow me to make a guess. I assume it was a woman who killed this man?"

His words succeeded in getting a reaction out of her. Her eyes widened further and she swallowed again. "I-it was…it was all so frightening. Blood was everywhere…but I…" She closed her eyes, replaying what had happened in her head and remembering nearly every moment, despite how fast it had started and ended. "I think she saved me…"

* * *

I vigorously washed my hair out, hating the smell of the putrid man's blood lingering within the drenched waves. Pouring one last bucketful of water over my head, I stayed leaning over the bath tub for a moment with my dripping hair surrounding my face like a curtain. My tongue ran along my teeth slowly, savoring the taste of human blood. It was utterly thirst quenching, nothing compared to hunting down stray animals. The strangest thing of all was that I didn't feel as much regret or guilt as I would have. The majority of what I felt was satisfaction and a hot, burning desire for _more_. I just couldn't get enough.

My nose wrinkled in disgust because I could still smell him on me, or maybe it was just my mind playing tricks again. Either way, I tried to ignore it and got off the tub, squeezing out as much water as I could from my hair. Still damp, of course, my hair was a complete tangled mess, but I didn't bother with it. Instead, I grabbed my clothes off the floor and exited the bathroom, walking naked down the hallway.

The house was deathly quiet, considering my parents had left for their outing. They deserved it; it had been far too long since father had done anything fun for himself. Watching him cooped up in the house, sick and feeble for those three years was saddening and I could tell my mother's worry had taken a toll on her as well.

Entering my old room, I set aside my day clothes atop the dresser and rummaged for something more comfortable to wear. Too busy with searching through various outfits that no longer fit or suited me, my senses failed to pick up what had crept up behind me at that very moment.

The last thing I saw was my hand before I saw complete darkness. What appeared to be some sort of cloth suddenly stole my vision and out of nowhere, a pair of arms pulled me into their grasp. Instant shock took over me and on instinct; I viciously bit into the person's forearm without mercy.

The person didn't let up however and all I heard from him was a dark chuckle. The sound of his voice froze me entirely, and as the delectable drops of his blood seeped into my mouth, I stopped breathing. I withdrew my fangs from his clothed flesh, not bothering to lick the blood that dribbled over my chin.

His breath blew against my ear and his nose buried into the crook of my neck. Soft lips joined in, grazing along my shoulder. With one hand, he grabbed my chin between his nimble fingers and tilted my head upwards. My back was facing him and I was still too stunned to resist; blinding me was one thing, and now he had me right where he wanted. His lips roughly smothered mine, no hint of gentleness, just absolute raw aggression. My mouth opened without hesitation when his warm tongue swiped fiercely over my stained lips. The wet muscle explored every crevice, tasting his blood and bits of human, our tongues wrestling with both dire desperation and dominance. My arm eventually wandered upwards, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him down closer, my mouth pressing harder on his. Meanwhile, his gloved hands wandered over my bare upper body, caressing over my curves and then slithering up to my breasts. My sharp gasp was muffled when he squeezed the mounds of flesh, rolling them in his palms in slow, circular motions.

I was the one to pull away from his lips and he turned me around so that I was facing him. Not being able to see him was frustrating and my hand reached up to my covered eyes, attempting to remove the cloth until his hand caught and gripped my wrist.

"Sebastian…" I whispered; my breathing escalated along with my growing desire. Saying his name again after the longest time ignited the spark that had been dormant within me. His mere presence was bringing me back to life.

"Shh…patience, my love. Follow my lead or I shall keep you blinded longer," he threatened playfully, his tone smooth and seductive.

Not letting me speak another word, he kissed me once more, sending more fire to rush through my veins as he lowered me down to the hardwood floor. My back met the cold surface and his body hovered over me for a second, straddling above my center. My chest rose and fell slightly, his silky bangs tickling my neck when he drew near. His mouth attached to my collarbone, his tongue and teeth licking and nipping my flesh as he slowly created a trail further down. Hearing the sounds of his lips pressing on my skin made me anxious for more; I wanted him to move faster. Taking me by surprise, something soft brushed against my side, but I didn't care to think about what it was until his now bare hands gripped onto my full breasts, massaging the mounds and then circling the nipples with his thumbs. My back arched into his enticing touch, signifying my need as more audible gasps slipped past my lips.

I couldn't see the sly smile that widened on his face before he obeyed my silent request. Taking my right breast fully into his mouth, his velvety tongue instantly flicked over the hardened nub. He swirled around it in a fast motion and then slower pace before taking up the quicker pace again, procuring louder gasps of pleasure to come forth from me. He wasted no time to do the same to the other, adding in a few bites as his teeth pulled on the nub. Every move he made on me set me aflame and my temperature nearly felt hotter than anything. Leaving my breasts slick with his saliva, the slightly reddened mounds of flesh glistened in the moonlight shining in my room while he advanced over my stomach, his fingernails scrapping the flesh.

I shivered when I felt his hand touch my moist center. I thought he would stall just to tease me like he usually would, yet he immediately dug his finger into my warmth, curving it and rubbing on my clit fast in a repeated motion. My hips rose up against his stimulating touch and he quickened the pace while adding more digits, each circling my clit and threatening to trigger my spasm. Just when I yearned for more, he withdrew his fingers and gave me what I wanted once again, using his mouth instead. An involuntary moan was earned when he speared his hot tongue into my soaking warmth, greedily dipping the wet muscle further inside and letting it flick over my sensitive spot every so often. His name began to roll off my lips the more he swallowed me up, gathering the juices that spewed out and running his tongue fervently against my walls. His still wet fingers groped the insides of my thighs, opening my legs wider for him and granting him more access. My emotions were conflicted, wanting him to stop yet at the same time, never want him to stop touching me. He hummed in utter content against my core when I came, my breathing growing so rapid when he finally withdrew his tongue out of me.

In the next moment, I felt his body pull away from me completely, leaving me open on the floor. Using my elbows to prop myself up, I relied on my hearing to guess what he was doing.

"S-Sebastian…?" I whispered again, curiosity evident in my voice.

His devilish smirk grew wider. He couldn't explain how much he relished the sight of me like this, terribly aroused and vulnerable. Messy, damp hair, a few locks were plastered between my breasts wet from saliva. My knees were bent and with me leaned up and legs spread wide open, he could see everything. The vulgar position aroused him greatly, his trousers tightening at the remnants of cum seeping out of my warmth.

He noticed me shifting my head to hear while he quickly removed his butler attire, unbuttoning his coat, vest, shirt, and finally, allowing his trousers to fall from his lean hips. Fully naked as well, he lowered himself back to the ground. My hand reached out for him and he took it, intertwining our fingers. The demon pulled me in with a single motion, placing his hands on my hips and grabbing me onto his lap, our privates touching and my breasts now slammed onto his warm chest. His body temperature was hot and I felt my cheeks flush at how immensely close we were. Then, his fingers weaved through my tangled locks, slipping under the cloth covering my eyes and untying it from the back of my head.

The first thing I saw after the darkness was his brilliant crimson eyes staring right into mine. What dangled from his left hand, I found, was his black tie, which he had used as a temporary blindfold. I wasn't the least bit mad, in fact, the blinding made it all the more special to see him in front of me again, right there. He was here, really here. The familiar burn came to my eyes and my arms immediately wrapped around him, pressing myself closer and refusing to let him go. He returned the embrace, his strong arms tangling in my long hair and crushing me in his grasp.

"I knew I'd see you again…"

He gave a genuine smile, his fingers gently clutching onto my scalp. "Forgive me for my lateness. I had wanted to come sooner but…"

I shook my head, my hands grabbing both sides of his face. "It doesn't even matter, Sebastian."

I leaned forward and he kept me close as our mouths clashed in another heated lip-lock. My center rubbed over him, and parting a few centimeters away from his lips, his hands rested back on my waist while I slowly rose up, my hot warmth spread wide before descending onto his hard length. We both let out a low groan at the wondrous feeling of being united as one. He stretched my opening as he pushed himself fully inside me before guiding me up and down onto him, his hands clutching my rib area. Soon, I was riding him, my legs wrapping around his waist to feel him deeper inside me. I closed my eyes, mouth parted, small moans and heavy breathing filled the air between us as I picked up speed, desperately jamming him into my sweet spot and wanting to feel every inch of him inside my burning hot core. I was greedy; my hands wanted to touch every part of his upper body as well. Cold fingers grazed over his toned muscles and my mouth took over, sucking on his chest as my head dipped lower. Eventually, he was leaning back on his elbows while my tongue licked over his well-formed abs, tracing every corner and drawing lazy patterns over his skin. I continued rolling my hips into him, slowly reaching that delicious tightening in my walls.

His muscles contracted under my soft tongue and he lifted his hips into me each time I came down. Though he enjoyed my sensual actions, his patience was cut and he wanted his turn in control. My moans were getting louder, telling him I was beginning to reach climax. He smirked, leaning himself up before pushing me off him and getting back on top. His hardened length was out of me and I fell onto my back, body completely flushed and legs kept open by his hands firmly pressed on my thighs. My warmth was left extremely sensitive, aching in the most unsatisfied way. I needed him so badly.

He drew closer, taking my legs and wrapping them around his waist. With his hands placed on either side of me, my own slithered over his chest until he entered me again, plunging all the way to the hilt. He began to move immediately, thrusting harder and faster, burrowing deeper within my sleek walls in search of the certain spot that would send me over the edge. His dark nails jabbed into my hips, drawing blood and eliciting a sharp pain that only seemed to feed the intense lust. He clawed at me, an almost animalistic growl rumbling in his throat as he ravaged me to his heart's content. He pounded into me relentlessly, our skin smacking and our breathing heavier, every muscle on his body rippled with his rough motions.

The demon knew he hit the mark when a sultry moan of satisfaction sounded from me. "Right there…_ahh_…more, Sebastian…" I begged between moans, my hips moving faster in time with his. He released his embedded nails from my flesh and grasped onto my calves from around his waist, adjusting our angle. Lifting my legs up without removing himself, he rested my limbs on his shoulders. My hips rose slightly off the ground and gripping my thighs, he pulled all the way back before thrusting back in with full force.

He was good, so, _so_ good. I wanted to scream but all that came out was a silent one, my head leaning back from the immense wave of pleasure shaking me. It had taken only a few more direct thrusts and he hit it every time, moving his hips ever so slightly in different angles to delve deeper into me. I couldn't hold back any longer, and even though my walls tightening around him caused him to slow down, he wasn't through with me. He hadn't reached his climax just yet and I let him go further, not wanting this moment to end. His powerful thrusts caused my hips to smack hard against the floor every time he plunged in and out. He removed my legs from his shoulders, changing our position again as he pulled me into his arms and lifted me up, leading me to where my bed was.

With me on the edge of the creaking mattress and his arms caging me within him, his thrusts continued to go harder and harder, as if he wanted to split me in two. I indulged in every dirty thing he did to me, his fingers digging into my arms and then waist as his breathing grew faster, sweat beginning to shine on his pale skin. His length was pulsating inside of me and I knew he was going to release soon. I moved my hips up one more time when he came down and feeling his head leaning into my chest, he met his climax. A deep, hot moan escaped his lips and his fangs bore against my skin. He bit hard into the junction of my neck. A surprised whimper was heard from me, but he didn't pay any mind, digging his fangs hard in my flesh and lapping up my blood.

Once he was through, he fell onto me, our bodies still connected as we lay on the bed. Our chests rose and settled through the process of calming down from the high. It was humid in my room, thick with the smell of our lovemaking and the summer heat. Our bodies were sticky with sweat and sex juices mixing together. His hot seed filled my entire warmth and I just felt utterly on fire. Staring up at the ceiling, my arm rested over my forehead, having no desire to move because it was over.

It was him who stirred first, as he was stronger. Hovering above me, his hazy eyes stared deeply into my equally dazed ones. His lips pressed onto mine again, a delightful tingle coming forth on contact. His eyes opened before me when he pulled back and the first thing he spotted was the blood strewn all over his palms and fingers. When my gaze landed on him, I noticed the scowl that appeared on his face and a hint of concern came over me. His eyes flashed once and he briskly looked over my body, spotting more blood staining various parts of my body. Some of the red left behind angry streaks that made it look more painful than it actually was.

His mouth parted slightly, wanting to say something, but finding he couldn't the longer he stared at the blood. My hands instantly grasped his face and his vibrant red eyes flitted back to me. "It's nothing, Sebastian. It's ok-"

"No," the demon interrupted, his voice holding malice. I stayed silent, watching him lick my blood off his fingers with apparent gusto, a pleasurable hum emitting from him.

He was so incredibly beautiful, just seeing him again restored how much I loved him, how important he was to me. His black hair clung to his skin, a little disheveled but it gave him a dirty, appealing look regardless. My thumbs rubbed over his cheeks and he smiled at me, our eyes meeting once again. Studying his red orbs more deeply, I noticed something else, something that increased my prior concern.

He looked thinner than before. Somehow, there was a 'life' in him that was no longer there.

His smile disappeared when he sensed the emotion emanating from me and he immediately tried to move away. I kept my grip firm on his face and the crimson of his irises morphed into the glowing magenta, challenging me to put up a fight so he could rip me apart.

I wasn't afraid. He could do so if he wanted to; crush my bones or the dormant heart in my chest. But I needed to know.

"Sebastian…what happened to you?"


End file.
